Young Hearts, Jumbled Minds
by tropicana-e
Summary: Remy won't lay off of Storm for her infatuation with their team leader. She's determined to get his attention, he's determined to win her affection. They are young so they may be a little ooc
1. The Damned Diary

_**A/N: I have to admit that I am in LOVE with both OreO pairings and ScOroro pairings. So I thought, why not have the best of both worlds? Lol Sorry RoLo's, I love that pairing as well, but maybe you'll like this fic anyway!**_

I do not own The X-men

**Young Hearts, Jumbled Minds**

_Dear Diary,_

_By the Goddess, you should've seen Scott today! Let me be the first to say that black is ABSOLUTELY his color! Actually he looks perfect in navy, too! Or a nice chocolate sweater. Oh and he looks KILLER in a white turtleneck! Oh, who am I kidding, he'd look amazing in any color. I've never been so attracted to a man in my life. I mean it, Diary, Scott Summers is perfect to the T—the definition of an alpha male! He's tall, lean, suave, collected…and that's when he's OUT of Cyclops mode! Then he's authoritative, firm, strong… I wish I could gather the nerve to talk to him, but to be honest I'm scared to death of him! I mean, he's 24…that's not too much older than me, but it's still intimidating! He's just so confident and…chiseled…I get tongue-tied every time I'm around him, and I practically have to tie myself down to keep from jumping on him whenever he says anything to me! I mean, he is a perfect gentleman, but he's still pretty young and a male at that so he lets it show every now and then. Like one time, everyone was out by the pool, and when he saw me in my two-piece he winked at me and told me to be careful before he got too tempted. __**Yeah**__. You can imagine how long I had to stay under the water to cool down from that one, right? Goodness, Remy didn't let me live that down for weeks. He never lets me live ANYTHING down when it comes to 'Scottie boy'. He's always teasing me and embarrassing me for having a perfectly mature feminine attraction for a man, and he always undermines it as a crush. But I guess best friends always tease each other, right? Anyway, I'm sooo excited! Tomorrow night Scott and I are going out to a bar! ….um…ok, well, not just me and him. Jean and Remy are coming too. But I think tomorrow night will be the night for sure. The night I finally make my m—_

Storm jumped and slammed her diary shut at the sudden and incredibly loud knock at the door.

"Who is it!" She instantly regretted answering so sharply. Whoever it was at the door, and that 'who' was not much of a mystery, would definitely think she was up to something.

"The Boogeyman. Lemme in, chere." 'Ro was up in a flash. If Remy Lebeau even knew she _had_ a diary, much less that she was pining over Cyclops in it, he would never let her hear the end of it. He began to push the door open just as she almost ran into it in attempt to keep it shut.

"What's de mattah wit' you, girl?" He chuckled, pushing the door back open to a crack.

"Nothing!" She answered, once again, too defensively.

"Then open the door!" he laughed again.

"…what do you want?"

"Well, I _did _want my shorts back dat you been usin' as p.j's…" He started, "But now I wanna know what you tryna hide from Gambit."

"I hide _nothing_, Lebeau."

"Well I wanna see dat nothin'.. An' don' think I won't ring his neck, whoevah it is you got in there." Storm rolled her eyes. As if she would hide a man in her room.

"Fine. Just give me a minute." She bolted to her desk and barely had enough time to even grab the diary before the Cajun stepped in the room. She hid it behind her back quickly, but not quick enough to fool him.

"You already had your minute," he smirked, "Where is he, Stormy?"

"I don't have anyone in my room, you sicko. And don't call me Stormy." She tried to forge a normal looking stance with both her arms behind her. She evidently failed, though, because Remy shot her the most skeptical of looks before gesturing to her.

"Give it up, chere." Ororo's heart caught in her chest and she held her breath.

"Excuse me?"

"Behind your back. Show it to me." He said dangerously, inching closer to her as she inched equally away.

"It's nothing."

"Prove it."

"It's a pregnancy test."

"You lyin'."

"It's tampons."

"No such thing."

She fought to find another excuse to at least keep the man at bay, but was stopped when the back of her knees hit the foot of her bed. He grinned wickedly at her and she froze, knowing that her diary's capture was now inevitable she turned and dove on to the bed, trying desperately to crawl away. Remy was on her in a second, tugging her back by her waist until the object, which looked like nothing more than a book, was within his reach. Thinking even quicker, she tucked the diary under her stomach and curled into a fetal position around it.

"Make it easy on y'self, Stormy," he grunted, "Remy'll get it eithah way." He reached under her, attempting to pry the thing from her grip before she rolled over, sending them both to the floor and onto Remy's back.

"Ow._ Shit_." He groaned.

"Screw you!" Ororo giggled climbing into the bed again. Her laughed reverted to a shriek, however, when Gambit seized her by the ankle and snatched her back to the hardwood floor. The diary flew out of her hand and onto the sheets.

"Dey'll be time for that later, chere." He said, rising. She scrambled off of the floor as he grabbed the diary and jumped on his back, strangling him with her arm and kicking the diary out of his hands. Remy laughed, despite his being choked.

"Why you gotta be so difficult, girl?" He grunted before he bent over suddenly, causing 'Ro to flip over his back, landing with a thud on hers.

"Ugh." She moaned at the extreme pain in her back and neck. "Asshole."

"Told ya to make it easy on y'self." He stepped over her and fell face first onto the floor, catching himself only millimeters before his nose would've been broken. 'Ro climbed over him, deliberately grinding her knees into his spine, and grabbed the Diary again before prancing back to the door.

"What can I say: jacking you up is way more fun." She panted, waving the Diary, tauntingly. She waited for his smart-alecky response until her breath slowed, but there was none, only a low groan from the ground. "Remy, get up." Again, no answer, but a seethe and slight shift. Storm rolled her eyes huffed before climbing onto the bed. He'd asked for whatever he'd gotten, but she couldn't help but check.

"…did I hurt your nose?" She asked as she bent over the bed. He was on top of her faster than she could react. She thrashed and kicked wildly, aiming for his undamaged nose when he began to laugh smugly.

"Stormy, Stormy." The Cajun tsk'ed, "An' you call yo'self an X-man." With ease that infuriated the struggling female beneath him, he locked her feet between his knees and pinned her wrists down with a single hand before grabbing the diary.

"Let's see what you been tryna keep from me, eh? You been gettin' off on Romance Novels when you got me right here, chere?" Storm looked angry enough to spit on him, but he opened it and scanned the writing.

"…'the definition of an alpha male'?" Remy began to laugh hysterically as he read through Ororo's private entry. "Dis what you been hidin', chere? You still crazy about dat old tight-ass Scottie boy? An' in a _diary!_"

"It's a… daily… _log_!" Storm bucked and tossed, trying to throw the Cajun off of her, but to no avail.

"Den why do the first words say 'Dear Diary'?" He asked deadpan. When her face darkened in embarrassment he laughed again, "Jesus, chere, Remy expected you to adapt but he nevah thought this place would mutilate you until you was a diary-writing, lovesick puppy. Is Remy gonna find Twilight DVD's under your bed now?"

Feeling the Cajun's grip loosen, Storm knocked him onto his back and snatched the book from him, straddling his waist so tightly that it was sure to leave a bruise.

"Careful, chere. Don't start getting' kinky wit' me."

"You are so full of it, Remy Lebeau!" She jammed a finger into his forehead and spoke between clenched teeth. "This is _exactly_ why I hid it from you! For one: Scott is NOT old, and you're only two years younger than him while you're talking! Second: He's NOT a tightass, he's an admirable, sensible, _responsible_ man, which you 100 percent AREN'T! Third: don't you EVER accuse me of changing OR liking Twilight again or you _will_ regret it! For your information, the professor suggested I start writing down my feelings as a way to release emotion without frying ASSHOLES like you with lightening. Oh! And as for being a lovesick puppy, I'm not going to tell you again that my interest for Scott is-NOT-a-stupid-crush!" She said, beating him in the chest with the now violated journal.

Remy grinned and grabbed her arms to stop her, partly because she was bruising his ribs, and partly because he didn't know how well he'd be able to control himself if she kept jerking around while on top of his groin.

"It _is_ a crush, chere. You shouldn' be wastin' time on the man, you jus turned 19. An' he ain't right for ya."

"I turn 20 in three months, swamp rat." Storm grumbled. The Cajun chuckled again at her nearly broken spirit.

"I know chere, Remy jus' teasin'. You know you my heart."

"Then why are you always making fun of me?" Gambit's expression softened and he placed her hands gently onto his chest.

"Maybe dis Swamp Rat be jealous of old Scotty…" He smirked and 'Ro rolled her eyes.

"Sure." Like Remy would _ever_ be jealous of anyone. He knew as well as she that he could have any woman he wanted. And that woman definitely wasn't her. They stood silent for a while, glancing around at the mess that they had created of Storm's room.

"Ok, chere, got your jollies? Can I get up now?" Storm shrugged before slamming her fist into his chest, making him bark in pain.

"Yeah. Now get the hell out of my room." She said, standing and allowing him to push himself off the ground.

"So, tell me chere, how you gonna _make your moooove_ tomorrow night? Is your body burnin' wit' desire, longin' to be touched by his strong knowin' hands, do ya shiver at the thought of him—"

"NOW!"


	2. Poolside Talks

I do not own The X-men

**Young Hearts, Jumbled Minds**

"You should jump in, beautiful!" Scott had to practically yell over the mass of young mutants in and around the pool. Jean arched a fiery eyebrow at him as he swam up to her, resting his elbows on the edge.

"Well if I did that, how would I be able to watch you? You know: all wet and sexy-like…" She purred, running her fingers through the younger mutant's hair.

"Aw, come on, Jean just for a little bit, it'll be fun." Scott pouted his lips and Jean grabbed his face and kissed his forehead.

"You're so cute. I'll be inside; I've had enough sun today." She said, swinging her legs out of the water and walking back into the mansion. He watched her disappear into the doors and sighed.

"Ugh. You and your damned _games_." Cyclops grumbled to himself before falling back into the water and letting himself sink. From the moment he and Jean had met he'd been crazy about her, and he'd made his intentions known not long after that. And yet, even after six months of this knowledge, Jean kept him hanging by a thread, stringing him along in her love games and playing hard to get to test him. Though she did 'reward' him every now and then by returning his affection in the slightest manor occasionally, the ritual was getting old to Scott, being as young as he was.

He resurfaced quickly, inhaling deeply through his mouth before he climbed out. There wasn't any reason to stay in the water, anyway. It was overly populated and nauseatingly warm from the presence of other bodies, which more than likely were unclean. He sighed again, wrapping himself in his towel. _What the hell am I doing._ He couldn't go in now. Jean had just gone into the institute; if he went back in now, it would just seem like he was following her like some lovesick preteen. Scott Summers was a lot of things, one thing he wasn't was desperate. He scoped the outside until his eyes fell on a certain white-haired beauty, lounging a few yards away at a table and reading.

* * *

Scott leaned onto the table Ororo was seated at and tapped it, seeing the earphone wires coming from both of her ears. She squinted up at him, and smiled, pulling out one of the earphones.

"I hear New Moon is a real page turner." He smirked. Storm fought herself to keep from blushing; the fact that Cyclops was leaning over her, shirtless, _and_ dripping wet did not help matters at all. She crossed her legs in her seat and racked her brain for words,

"Funny. You know, not every teenage girl salivates at the mention of the Twilight Saga." Scott scoffed.

"Yeah, right. Show me _one _who doesn't and I will kneel before her and kiss her feet."

"You're looking at one." She replied carelessly, turning another page. Scott's eyes popped and his jaw dropped slightly.

"You've got to be kidding."

"I kid you not. Folklore isn't really my thing."

"Oh?" Scott leaned further, resting his chin on his fist, "What is?" She peeked up at him again and shrugged.

"Action, Comedy, Gore, Science-fiction…I dunno, just anything but Twilight." She looked up when the auburn haired male began to chuckle. "What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing," Scott said, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Storm causing her heartbeat to quicken almost tenfold, "I just might've fallen in love with you."

"_W-what_?" Ororo practically yelled, jumping and scooting back in her chair. Seeing Scott's bewildered reaction, she gathered herself. "…did you say?"

"Relax, 'Ro, it was a joke." He said. He saw her pull the book closer to her face as her face began to darken slightly and smirked. "Ororo" he said lowly,"…are you _blushing_?"

"No." Storm snapped.

"Are you blushing because of me? Are you blushing at me?" He pressed, inching closer and closer to her. When he was barely touching her, a loud, sudden roar of thunder startled him back into his own personal space.

"Ok." He grinned, "What _are_ you reading then, if it's not Breaking Dawn?"

"Gone With the Wind. What, what's wrong with it?" She asked, hearing the mutant groan to himself.

"It's just…"

"What?"

"You chicks and these romance novels! They make everything… I don't know… so _glorified._ Not to mention they create _impossible_ competition for real guys, since they raise every chick's romantic expectations to ridiculous levels. It's frustrating…it's annoying."

"Well, I think the physical expectations that we females are met with would make us about even." She countered.

"That's not fair." Storm laughed, causing Scott to join her.

"If it makes you feel any better, the only romance I experience is _in_ these novels." Scott sat up, hearing this, and she shrugged. "It's not surprising, though. Who'd want to date a geek who'd rather read outside in perfect weather than get in her bikini and swim with everyone else."

Scott looked closer at Storm. She must have been out of her mind. Even wrapped in wool and duct tape she would look better than most of the girls in the pool, or in the entire mansion for that matter. She was beautiful, and probably could date any guy she wanted if she showed any interest in anyone. _Anyone else besides Remy_, he thought.

"I think it's incredible that you like to read, especially at your age. It's admirable of you."

"You sound like my teacher." Storm grumbled, causing Scott laugh loudly,

"I mean it, though. Chicks that can read are hot." He laughed.

"That's not funny, Scott!"

"I'm sorry! But really, seriously Storm, I think it's _very_ attractive."

"Do you really?" He shrugged.

"It got me over here…" Ororo nodded and grinned, blushing again, to Scott's amusement.

"I guess it did. Speaking of romance, I see you're off the leash." She said, suddenly. Scott raised his eyebrows.

"Was that a shot at me?" Ororo giggled.

"Maybe."

"Alright, funny gal. We'll see who's on the leash when we go out tonight."

"Please don't feel like you have to prove yourself to me, Scott. I think it's cute the way you dote on Jean. I mean, I _wish_ I could find a guy who would wait on _me_ hand and foot and do anything for _me_. She's a lucky woman. I mean it! Your masculinity isn't in question at all if you ask _this_ observer." Scott stood, deciding that Miss Munroe was getting too clever for her own good, and didn't waste any time snatching her novel from her and hoisting her over his shoulder, kicking and screaming.

"Here, now no one can say that you were off being a geek instead of being in the pool." He said before sending her flying into the least crowded area of the water. She popped up quickly, thrashing and coughing.

"I can't believe you just did that!" He smiled, folding his masculine arms.

"Oh, believe it. See you tonight, babe." He said, winking before retreating inside. Storm waited until he was out of sight before she dove under, letting loose the giddy squeal she'd been holding in from the moment he came up to her.

Screw an attraction. She was in _love_.


	3. Get Ready

I do not own The X-men

**Young Hearts, Jumbled Minds**

"'Ro." Remy knocked on Storm's door, seeing that they had at least another two hours before it was time to leave. He had already dressed. Cabana's wasn't anything special, he could just wear whatever. He decided he could kill time waiting for Storm to get ready until they left, though. He cocked an eyebrow, seeing her getup as she opened the door. He'd never known his windrider to wear anything particularly revealing unless the weather called for it. Even then, she was always innocently oblivious of her allure. But evidently she had learned in mere hours how to purposely get a man's attention. He grinned at her new white tube dress. She knew what she was doing, he'd give her that. It was too short to be considered conservative, but it left enough to the imagination to definitely not be considered slutty.

Ororo rolled her eyes, but smiled seeing Gambit at the door. Of course, it didn't surprise her that he was there; he often spent his free time in her room with her for whatever reason. She never minded his company.

"Expectin' someone else, chere?" He smirked at her annoyance.

"_No._" She answered simply. He looked her up and down and she flared her nostrils at him. "You know, you've got a lot of nerve coming back up here."

"Remy crazy 'bout ya, Stormy, Where else would he be?" He said, slipping his finger underneath her chin. She swatted his hand away, like she always did. "Remy might have t'keep ya to himself tonight, chere. Y'look bewitchin'."

"Really?" She said excitedly, instantly making Remy smile. "Do you think S—" She cut her sentence short and Remy's eyes narrowed to slits.

"Do I think Scotty'll like it?" Storm sucked her teeth before letting him in. Although she would have much rather not had him there now, she could spare no time to argue. She had to look her best tonight for Scott. She had been waiting forever for this night to come and she had to look perfect.

"So dats why ya bought the new threads, huh? " Storm sat in front of her mirror, trying her best to ignore the Cajun now sitting on her bed after closing the door behind him. "Somebody tryna get undah Scotty boy's skin tonight."

"Right, because I can't just feel like looking nice before I go out, right? Every single move I make is about Scott, now, Remy?"

"You tell me, chere," Remy chuckled, "Gambit vaguely rememba' _readin' _ about his Stormy's intentions tonight. Can't rightly recall where..."

"Remy, I swear to-don't start. Do not start with me." She tried to calm herself hearing him laugh loudly.

"Ya jus' make it so easy, Stormy." He sniggered.

"_Stop _calling me that!" She snapped. Gambit raised his hands, still grinning, and Storm tried to take advantage of the temporary silence between the two of them, thinking of how she would style her hair. After messing with it for a few minutes, she decided that with the outfit she chose, a dressed up pony would look best.

"...You'd let Scotty boy call ya dat, wouldn't ya, Stormy?"

"Remy, if you just came up here to make fun of me until we go, then you can kiss my ass."

"What do Remy get to kiss if he came to apologize?"

"Argh!" She yelled, letting go of her hair when she almost had it pinned perfectly. "Get out of my room!"

"Answer me, first." He responded calmly.

"Look, now I have to start all over!" She whined to him from the mirror. "I can't stand you, Remy you make me sick, I swear!" Gambit's eyebrows creased and he clenched his jaw firmly.

"Yeah?" Remy's voice rose at her as they locked eyes in the looking glass, "Well..._Stop being so pretty_!"

Ororo's resolve faded once again and she laughed. Every time she was upset with Remy or would yell at him, he would feign a mutual anger towards her and yell compliments to her as if he were arguing. In all their years as friends she could never remember him being genuinely mad at her, and though she frequently was with him, it never stayed that way. He made sure of it.

"Bite me." She bit back a smile.

"_Love_ you." He retorted.

"_Screw_ you."

"Marry me." Remy glared at her through the mirror, but melted completely when he heard her laugh again. He suddenly didn't want to go out anymore. In fact, he never wanted to leave the weather goddess' bedroom again if he had the choice to simple stay and hear her laugh.

"Here," she piped up, "Come help me with my hair, jackass, since you messed it up."

Remy stood and crossed the room until he was hovering over her, more than happy to oblige.

"Are you sure I shouldn't have just worn the black dress?" Scott fought the urge to sigh. This would be fourth time she asked. "Maybe I should just go change."

"You look _fine_, Jean." She look down at her outfit, fiddling with it before pouting. Nothing was ever good enough for the redhead, she was always missing something or wearing the wrong color. This hairstyle was wrong. These were the wrong earrings. Boots would look better than heels. It annoyed him greatly, but he always tried to reassure her when he could...not that she would ever listen. He looked at her again.

"You know I think you look perfect in whatever you wear." He said softly, looking shyly at the object of his affections. Jean giggled at his boyish behavior.

"You're so adorable. " She kissed him on his cheek before taking off up the stairs. Scott rolled his eyes watching her before running a hand through his thick hair.

"Jeannie, you ditchin' us, chere?" Scott looked up, hearing Gambit call after her from the above floor.

"I just have to go change really fast!" She yelled back, never breaking her pace. Scott chuckled before his breath caught in his throat, seeing Storm descend with Remy down the staircase, beaming down at him.

Suddenly he agreed with Jean's decision to change.

**TBC**


	4. A Night to Remember: Part 1

**Young Hearts, Jumbled Minds**

Storm fought to keep from looking at Scott the entire ride to Cabana's, even though she was more than positive that his eyes were on her. She wouldn't risk even glancing in his direction. She had no idea why the man was so intimidating to her; it was more than unnerving. She sighed, she did happen to get in an eyeful of the team leader from the stairs, and made it a point to herself to mention in her diary how incredible Cyclops looked in sky blue.

"Merde, dey packed tonight. Jeannie, you gonna have to park across de road, chere." She heard Remy groan from the front seat. She shook her head, remembering hearing that same egotistical voice hovering over her just the night before. She also made a mental note to find a proper hiding place for the diary. _Jackass. _

"Something on your mind?" Storm looked up, hearing Scott muse over her mental dilemma, but still didn't make eye contact.

"Yeah, I was wondering why you were all in my business, now that you brought it up."

"Ooh! Someone's feisty, tonight!" he chuckled as the car came to a stop. His laughter gave Storm enough courage to finally turn toward him.

"And that excites you, does it?" Storm cocked an eyebrow at Scott before removing her seatbelt.

"...Maybe." He smirked at her before exiting the vehicle, "Keep it up and we'll see." Ororo grinned to herself after he closed the door, trying to conceal her excitement from Jean as she, too, left the car.

"Stormy, I can hear y'blushin' from up here, chere."

Storm grimaced. Her temporary euphoria was cut extremely short by the smug Cajun laughing from the passenger seat. Remy glanced over his shoulder when she leaned to the front of the SUV.

"Look, you assclown. I am _going _to have a good time tonight. And I _swear _you will pay if you try and mess it up. With _blood._"

"Dat a promise, chere? Remy loove with you rough wit' him."

Storm rolled her eyes before putting her pinky in her mouth. Wet-Willies never failed to shut Gambit up. She giggled hearing him squeal from the wet finger in his ear and left the car quickly to avoid retaliation. Even if Remy did try to embarrass her tonight, something gave her the inkling that tonight would be permanently etched into her memory.

break

The smell of smoke and alcohol was overwhelming even before Ororo entered the bar. She admittedly wasn't sure of what exactly to expect, but her imagination had yielded a much more glamorous picture than the noisy watering hole that was the reality of a night bar.

"You alright, Stormy?" Remy asked, sensing her uncomfortable state. Much to Storm's aggrivation, Remy always sensed any change in her emotions or body language.

"I will be once you stop calling me that name." She answered, taking in her surroundings.

"Iono why you wanted t'come here, chere. Y'ont belong in a dirty wet spot like dis here."

"Who says?" Storm yelled over the noise in the place. Remy was right. The floor was dirty and so were most of the people here, she gathered.

"You do, girl!" He laughed, to Storm's annoyance. "Ya nose wrinkled, y'shouldahs drawn up, y'eyes dartin' everywhere. Remy know you wouldn't like dis kinda place. Why you think I nevah asked you to come before?" She rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore him. He was doing exactly what she had asked him not to. She refused to let him ruin her night before it even started.

"Look, there's Scott and Jean." Remy's eyes narrowed, seeing Scott eagerly saving a seat for Storm. The boy scout was going to make this a long night, but he kept his cool as he sauntered over to the group.

"Come sit here, Remy. You can buy me a drink. Little miss muffet's underage and Scott's driving."

"Well den, the pleasure's all mine, petite." He grinned before taking his place next to the redhead, and furthest away from his 'Ro, at the bar.

Scott placed a hand on Storm's knee. She was obviously uncomfortable, but he figured she just needed a few minutes to adjust, and he would be more than glad to get her used to the bar scene.

"You want something?" he asked, nodding toward the bar tender. She looked at the stubby man and back at Cyclops.

"It's illegal." She answered, clearly stupified at his offering. He laughed.

"You _do_ know they have non-alcoholic beverages at a bar, right?" He felt his heart jump when she blushed and started avoiding hisbeye contact again. She had obviously meant to impress him tonight, and now she thought she had damaged her chances of that. _God, she's adorable. _He couldn't help but smile at her. "Come on, let's dance." He pulled her off of her stool, and she followed willingly until the words left his mouth.

"What?"

"Let's dance!"

Storm's eyes grew wider than he'd ever seen them. "No! I can't!"

"What do you mean you can't, it's easy! Here, I'll show you." He offered, trying again, to lead her to the tiny dance area, and again, being held back. He sighed and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him and giving her the best puppy dog eyes he could make. "Why not?"

"Because!" She laughed. "Scott, don't make me dance, I'll do anything else you want, I promise." She watched Scott's expression change as he thought of something else to do that would, no doubt, humiliate her in front of dozens of people, all while hoping he didn't notice the rapid beating in her chest from him holding her so close to him. She'd have enough to fill her diary to the back cover by the end of the night.

Remy looked over at Cyclops, wanting nothing more than to break both the arms he had tightly around Storm. He made his blood boil, the boy scout. As if he didn't already have everything else going for him, he had to have Stormy, too. His eyes narrowed to slits when he saw Scott whisper something to the goddess and pull her upstairs.

"So are we gonna talk about it or what." Gambit turned, hearing Jean's voice next to him. It was void of the girlish, bubbly hue it had held earlier, it was now dim and harsh. She definitely had his attention.

"About what, petite?"

"Don't play dumb, Remy. About _them._" She said, gesturing to the staircase where Scott and Ororo had disappeared to.

"You'll pardon Remy if he don' see what dey is to talk about."

"Cut the bull, Gambit. One of the perks of being a telopath is that I can _read minds._" She spat.

"Really? Den tell me what I'm thinkin' now." He countered.

"Remy, you can fool everybody else with the whole 'best friend' charade you have going with Storm-even Storm, apparently. But you can't fool me. And I have worked _too hard_ on Scott to have him plucked away from me now."

"Worked too hard? What is he, chere, a science project?" The Cajun asked dully, turning his attention to his beer. He wished now that he had ordered something stronger.

"You know what I mean, Remy."

"I _don'_. An' I don' care, eithah. Dey ain' ya business, Jeannie."

"_Scott_ is. And I'm ending this before it goes any further. I thought you'd be willing to help, but since you seem to have misplaced your _balls, _ I guess I'll do it on my own."

"Be m'guest, petite." Remy answered. He had tuned her out long before she finished her rant. Tonight was definitely going to be a long night.

break

Storm could hear the cracking of ivory from the bottom of the staircase, but the devilish grin on Scott's face held most of her attention.

"The smoke doesn't bother you, does it?" He asked when they reached the top floor, which apparently was the pool hall.

"No." She lied, it was a cloud up here. Her throat was burning and so was her nose, and she shuddered at the thought of what it was doing to her hair and clothes. She could never understand how anyone could intentionally inhale this stuff on a regular basis.

"So how good are you?" He asked. She shook her head, assuming he was talking about the pool tables.

"I've never played before." She answered. Remy tried to teach her on several occasions, but she was never interested.

"Wanna learn?" Storm didn't even have time to answer before she was snatched away from Cyclops by a strange, monster of a man.

"What's your name, little girl?" He growled. Ororo's gag reflex was overwhelming her from the collective stench of stale smoke, cheap leather, cheaper aftershave, alcohol, and b.o.

"_Hey!_" Scott barked, pulling her back to his side, "Not even in your dreams, jackass. She's with me."

"I think the lady should decide for herself." He said lowly. He would've sounded more dangerous had his words been less slurred and his balance steadier.

"So you _can_ think," Scott answered, "That's good. Here's something to think about: if you put your hands on her again, you're gonna be real good friends with one of these cue sticks in here. Best friends. And I'm gonna be the one to introduce you."

"Let's just go, Scott." Storm finally said, nudging him. He did as he was told and reluctantly left the man to continue his drunken prowling.

"Sorry, 'Ro. I forgot to mention the freaks that come here sometimes." He mumbled when they found an unoccupied table.

"Well, it doesn't really seem like they'll be a problem," she smiled coyly, "I mean, I'm 'with you', right?"

Scott froze, racking up the balls. Ororo prided herself greatly in her newly found ability to faze him.

"Scott! Are you _blushing_?"

"Funny." He mumbled, grabbing to cue sticks from the wall. "You know, maybe I said it cause I _meant_ it." He paused, locking eyes with her before handing one to her. Storm bit her lip, trying to will the butterflies in her stomach away as Scott broke.

break

Remy fought the urge to drink himself to numbness. He had not even finished his first drink, Jean took the liberty of running up his tab for him. He had been ready to leave for a while by now, but he refused to, knowing that Storm was still there, even if she was with Scott.

"I don't get what your problem is, we could just take a cab." Jean said again for about the third time in the past hour.

"Jeannie, if y'wanna leave, go 'head." He said sharply. His patience was wearing thin and she was only working his nerves even further.

"And what, leave Ororo alone with my man? Like hell."

"Then stay." He answered. She stirred in her seat and sighed.

"I have to pee." She whined.

"Then _leave_."

"You can't help me to the bathroom?"

Remy groaned, fighting the growing urge to strangle the redhead.

break

"Corner pocket."

"I already told you I wasn't playing anymore!" Storm giggled, seeing the table filled with solids and Scott being left with only the eight-ball.

"Please, I saw you trying." He answered before sinking his shot perfectly. "That's game." He smirked.

"I don't care." She shrugged. She honestly didn't. She took great pleasure in just watching him the entire time. Seeing his concentration, the lines of his back and triceps as he played, the lines in his cheeks when he smiled at his accuracy. Just seeing him carefree and evidently in one of his elements. It even made her forget about the thick cloud of toxins around them. He layed his cue on the table before sighing.

"You know, that was a pretty good game... on my part at least. Its a shame we didn't put anything on it." Scott purred, inching his way closer to her. He smiled when he was stopped by a dainty finger in his chest.

"I think we should be leaving soon, slim."

Scott laughed. "Slim, huh?"

Storm shrugged, thinking of something witty to say, but was stopped when Cyclops kissed her gently on the cheek.

"I like it." He answered before kissing the stunned Storm again. "Let's go."

**TBC**


	5. A Night to Remember: Part 2

**Young Hearts, Jumbled Minds**

Remy watched Ororo closely as the four mutants exited Cabana's for the evening. She seemed to be glowing, and Scott was noticeably chipper, which was a terrible sign. Jean apparently caught it, too.

"You want me to ride shotgun, baby?"

Remy sneered. Her voice was dripping with sugar now. He never took her for the manipulative type.

"You know I do, sweetheart." He answered just as lovingly. Remy looked back to his goddess, and his heart sank seeing her expression change to slight shock and then disappointment. She recovered quickly, though, making sure to avoid eye contact with anyone for the remainder of their time together.

break

The ride back was just as awkward as Remy assumed it would be. Jean was passed out before everyone even had time to get into the SUV. Storm refused to say anything or look anywhere else rather than out of the window. Gambit flared his nostrils hearing Scott sigh when he saw Ororo's evident mortification. _If the tightass had a spine I'd break it in half_.

It seemed like a lifetime before they finally reached the mansion. Storm didn't waste any time before getting out and Scott didn't waste any trying to stop her before she could get away.

"Hey, what's the matter?" He asked lowly, having to hold her by her shoulders to keep her from walking away.

"Nothing, I'm just tired." She said, looking at the ground—anywhere except his face.

"Ororo. Did I do something wrong? Did I upset you? What happened?" She, again, did not answer. Scott had no clue what was going on, but there was no doubt in his mind that her sudden mood change had everything to do with something he had done. "Look… 'Ro, whatever it was that I did, I'm sorry. I thought you had a good time tonight." He pled.

"I did."

"Then what's wrong? What did I do?"

Remy rolled his eyes, seeing that he'd probably be stuck with the chore of carrying Jean to her room, and exited the car. Scott turned his head at the noise and quickened his explanation.

"Storm, I really do like you. I meant everything I said to you, even at the pool. Even if you're mad at me I want you to know that, okay?"

She nodded slowly, even letting a smile slowly make its way onto her face.

"Good. Goodnight." He smiled, and for the third time that night he kissed her-this time on the corner of her mouth, and left her breathless.

"I'll take her, Remy." He said once he caught up to the Cajun carrying Jean. Remy gently let her down, allowing Scott to scoop her up to carry her to her room. The Cajun took off to the opposite direction. He needed to see Storm... after he had a shower.

break

Ororo stepped out of her bathroom, letting the steam billow from the doorway behind her. Her hearing was still muffled, as if she were underwater. She shook her head again. Apparently steam _didn't _fix clogged ears.

"It'll go away in th'mornin', chere. Dey play de music loud at night. It'll do dat to ya."

Storm jumped hearing Remy's voice coming from her bed. As many times as he snuck in her room at night, he could still startle her.

"I see you din't waste no time gettin' in th'shower, petite." He said through a grin. Storm rolled her eyes and let her hair loose from the towel she had it wrapped in.

"Please, did you _see_ that place? Who wouldn't be dying to bathe! "

Remy shook his head. More often than not he felt as if he knew the windrider better than she knew herself. This was definitely one of those times.

"Did you bring the cards?" Storm asked nonchalantly over her shoulder, rummaging through her drawers for night clothes. He perked up hearing her ask. She hated playing cards-especially with him.

"You wanna play?" Storm turned to look at him, giggling at his boyish excitement.

"Why not." She said, taking her clothes and returning to the bathroom. "You caught me in a good mood."

Gambit rolled his eyes, whipping out his cards. "So Scotty boy made yo' night, after all, eh?" He waited for a response, but was knocked nearly speechless when she exited the bathroom in black sweatpants and an oversized black shirt-both belonging to him. She looked even more stunning than she had in her dress. "Tell me, chere. Should Remy jus' move his closet to yo' room, den?" He smirked, seeing her cock up an eyebrow while she sat across from him.

"Whatever, you're just mad 'cause I look better in your clothes than you do."

"Ah, non, Stormy. Remy done learn't some time ago dat you like ta sneak into his room for p.j.'s." He said as he shuffled.

"Your point being?" She asked. He paused to look her dead in the eye.

"I only leave out what I'd like you in." He winked before being punched in the arm. "Ah! Merde, chere, it was a compliment!"

"You're such an idiot! You know what? Get out, I need to write in my dia-daily log, anyway." She tried not to grin through her false dismissal.

"You still got that thing, chere?" He laughed.

"Yes, you grade A asshole." She threw a pillow at his head as she responded.

"Well, you don' need it tonight. Remy'll be y'diary for ya." He said, moving the pillow and dealing her five cards.

"Why? Need someone to poke fun at?" She asked, looking through her hand.

"Oui. An' you need someone to tell all y'tingly feelin's to about ol' tightass. Win win."

Storm rolled her eyes. She did need to tell _someone _about tonight, and best friends were meant to share stories with, she supposed. "Fine."

"Come, cheriè, tell Remy all about it." He grinned.

break

Scott sat up in his bed, trying to fight the conflicting thoughts in his head- namely Jean and Ororo.

He couldn't make sense of any of his actions in the past few days. He'd known Storm for over three years. She was just as beautiful as she'd ever been... why was she having this effect on him now? Even while he helped Jean into her bed, the only thing he could think of was Ororo. Her smiling or laughing for no reason he could gather, the way she would blush just from his smiling at her, how soft her skin was to his lips... all of it thrilled him. _She _thrilled him.

_That's what she is to you, you idiot. A thrill. Just something new because you're feeling bored of Jean. Keep thinking like that and she'll drop you for sure._

Those very thoughts were what frustrated Cyclops so deeply. He was _always_ worried that Jean would leave him for whatever reason, long even before Ororo came along. She always felt as if she were just out of reach, and he was permanently walking on eggshells with her because of it. He'd been infatuated with her from the first time he saw her. But she abused his affection for her, treated him like her little puppy, and was draining it from him.

_You can't screw this up now, Summers. You've chased her too long for this. She's too important to throw to the side for a hot fling with 'Ro. Besides, she's Remy's girl. You know that._

He did hold that assumption. She and Remy were inseparable for the most part. He always teased her-often suggestively. She wore his clothes...and nearly every night he ended up in her room for one reason or another.

Then again, Remy was notorious for his flirtatious nature. He would compliment and sweet talk any female he came across. Scott had no doubt that this must have bothered Storm, knowing that Remy hit on countless women when she wasn't around. He pondered this for minutes.

_See? She's doing the same thing you are. Remy is rattling her nerves and she's using you to get him back in line. _

Cyclops felt his eyebrows crease at the thought. Is that what she was doing?

She _had_ been sitting by herself at the pool earlier that day. And he had heard through the grapevine that she and Gambit had had some sort of spat the night before where Ororo had threatened him with lightning and screamed at him to get out of his room and he emerged with a bruised chest and torso.

"God, that's exactly what she's doing." He spoke quietly into the darkness of his room. She definitely knew about his troubles with Jean, she'd made that known at the pool. Was she letting him know her intentions?

_Of course she was, why else would she possibly have this newfound interest in you?_

He sighed, pulling his sheets back and lying with his arms behind his head. He was more conflicted now than he had been before. It still didn't make any sense to him. There was a part of him that was sure that he truly was interested in the windrider, and that the same could be same about her. But his logical side dismissed it as foolish ideas. He decided he'd play along. This strategy would hopefully prove to be beneficial to the both of them.

break

"I felt so dumb, I had _no idea_ you could get drinks that weren't alcoholic at a bar!" She admitted while both she and Remy cracked up. "Oh... _and _ we played _pool_." She laughed even harder at his shock. "Yeah, I thought you might like that!"

"Vrai, oui! M'Stormy was full of adventure tonight. Firs' de cards, now you tell me Scott had y'shootin'." Storm eyed him. He was trying his best to sound uninterested, but she could sense something in the Cajun...some sort of tension, and it seemed to be building.

"That's not even the worst part. He tried to get me to _dance _before that!" She said. Remnants of dread were still threaded in her words.

"Dats what he was whisperin' to ya?" He asked.

_"Yes._ And I was freaking ter-ri-fied." She exhaled, pulling her hair behind her shoulders.

"Well why, chere?" He asked, more than amused at her shy behavior.

"_Because!_ All this was just a test run to him! What if he ends up asking me to go to a dance club! And asks me to dance for real! And what if he...you know!" She gestured wildly as she spoke.

"If he what, cheriè?" He asked, knowingly. His was voice like dark velvet now as he spoke lowly to her in the dimly lit room. "If he kiss you?"

"Well, yeah... I don't know how to do _either_." She admitted. Remy wasted no time abandoning the cards the jumping off of the bed. "What are you doing?" She asked, seeing him reach for the stereo and turning it on.

"What kin' of man would I be if I let my Stormy turn twenny knowin' she don' know how to dance?" He said, stopping at the hip hop station. "Get up, girl!" He said, pulling her to the largest open area on the floor.

"Remy no! I don't even-"

_"Enough,_ chere. You ain't got no excuse I'ma take. We de only ones here, so Remy Lebeau is yo' dance instructor tonight. Je suis le Prof Groove." He said, bowing to her. She folded her arms.

"Professor Groove? What is this Western Rump Shaking class?"

"Next semester, chere. You in Slow Grindin' 101." Storm laughed loudly at Remy's sudden playful mood.

"Whatever. I refuse to participate, Monsieur Groove." She said through giggles, "Besides, I hate this song."

Remy pulled her back as she tried to go back to her bed. "Non, petite. You ain' gettin' off dat easy. You gotta getcha moves right f'yo boy toy, anyway." He winked. Ororo rolled her eyes, but it was evident that this battle was lost. Remy wasn't about to take no for an answer. Not when he had learned that Scott had gotten her to do something he couldn't. "Stormy, chere. Y'first an' only lesson is dis: dancin' is just movin' to rhythm. Easy, non?" He said, turning up the volume, "Jus' move ya hips a lil'."

"I. Don't. Know. _How!_" She said again. Remy huffed, closing the distance between them.

"I see dis calls f'hands on learnin', eh? Best kind." He said, placing her arms around his neck. "Follow me." Storm chewed her lips when he placed his hands firmly on either of her hips, guiding them to the beat of the song. Storm was tense against him at first, not understanding his instructions, but she slowly caught on to his rhythm and matched it. Remy's eyes slowly became glued to her as they danced through the entire song, he changed the motions of his hands, allowing 'Ro to test different combinations of movements, and she caught on through another song. "See? Easy." He said, removing her hands and letting her see her own progress.

"Yeah, but... I don't think we'd be dancing like this at a nightclub. Not exactly anyway." She said, halting both of their movements. "This is fine by myself but how would I dance _with_ him?" When he didn't answer, she looked up to him. His eyes bore into her. They even looked darker. An unknown, but highly enjoyable sensation ran through her at his intense stare.

She was almost stunned.

Remy nodded his understanding. "Speedy course, eh? D'accord, petite... Remy'a show you." Storm dismissed the lust in his tone and allowed him to spin her around. His hands surrounded hers, and he lifted them gently, again placing them around his neck. Ororo tried her best to fight the goosebumps that surfaced on her skin when his hands moved slowly down her arms and pulled her closer to him, so that she was firmly pressed against every part of him. She shivered outright when she felt his rough hands gradually move under her shirt and onto her hips. It didn't go unnoticed by the Cajun; she heard him chuckle from behind her. She followed his rhythm again, it was slower this time with a new song playing.

"Hmm. Ya learn fas', mon cheriè." Gambit hummed in her ear. Storm's eyes sank shut, feeling his words in her ear and neck. Remy pushed her hair away from her shoulder and at the same moment he and his Storm were in another world. Storm placed her smaller hands over his, guiding them higher onto her stomach. Remy gladly let her and turned his attention to her neck, running his lips over the curve of it. He kissed her at the evidently sensitive area where her neck met her jaw, smiling against her when he heard her gasp. He lifted his mouth away from her when she turned to face him, looking deep into her eyes. They were darker now, nearly indigo, and brimmed with her heavy eyelashes. He immediately attacked her mouth with his, and she surrendered to him, moaning as he spun her back to face him, relishing in his exploration of every part of her mouth. He felt her hands run heatedly through his hair, and for a split second he was back in his right mind.

He had his Stormy.

**TBC**

_I could just end this fic right here, huh? Haha but there's no way I would do that to you guys. Much more drama must ensue, don't you agree? Oh no, it's not over yet._


	6. Mistakes, Misunderstandings

**Young Hearts, Jumbled Minds**

Remy woke feeling incredibly hungover. His head swam and throbbed; his body felt heavy. He hesitated to open

his eyes, groaning when he finally did. The sun was blinding even through the curtains. He covered his eyes with his hands, lying still for several minutes before running his hands through his hair and sitting up on the edge of his bed. _Merde, how'd I get t'my room? _He looked around, taking in his surroundings. He realized he hadn't undressed before he'd fallen asleep which led him to believe that he must have passed out. He was more than confused. It was beyond him, how he could be feeling this way when he had hardly anything to drink. He looked at his clock: 8:39. _Jesus, it's early...maybe Stormy up by now-_

"Mon Dieu." He breathed, "_Stormy."_

He groaned, feeling his head throbbing even worse when his memory of the previous evening flooded over him.

_Remy had been seconds away from losing all control over himself when Storm pushed him away, surprisingly gently. His eyes we're still closed when she finally spoke to him._

_"Well, I guess we got everything covered now, huh?" She asked shakily. Gambit's eyes rolled open._

_"Hmm...oui, chere. A plus." He spoke against her mouth. "Anything else ma chere tryna learn?" He chuckled._

_"I think I got it from here, ma beau prof. It's bedtime now." She said walking past him. Almost immediately when the warmth of her body was gone from him, he was knocked from the heavy lust that had so suddenly overwhelmed him. He blinked hard, not entirely sure of what had just taken place between the two of them. He felt dizzy...incoherent._

_"Are you coming?" She asked, putting the cards away on her dresser and sitting on her bedside. Remy rubbed his forehead firmly, trying to shake the sense back into himself. "Remy?"_

_"Non, chere. Goin'. Remy done barged in on ya enough tonight." He smirked, "Can't have y'gettin' sick of me." He said, closing the door behind him after she bade him goodnight. He rubbed his forehead again before he made his way sluggishly to his room._

"Lawd Almighty." The Cajun whispered. "Remy, you fool", he shook his head, burying it in his hands as guilt surged through him, "You peice'a shit ,what de hell you done?"

break

"Wait, so she just dragged him off? Right in front of you?" Rogue and Jubilee both were shocked at Jean's retelling of the four mutants' night at Cabana's. Jean shrugged, wearing the perfect mask of honest confusion.

"Yeah!" She matched the shock in their tones with her own, "You know, I knew she was a little smitten with Scott but lately...I don't know. She's just been acting weird these past few days. It's really bothering me. And poor Scott! I mean-he's the one that's had to put up with it all."

"Put up with what, babydoll?" Rogue poured out sympathetically.

"Yeah, Jean, what _exactly _has she been doing?" Jubilation asked the slightest bit more skeptically.

"Well, I don't know if I should..." She trailed.

"Oh, you can tell us, sugar." Rogue reassured the redhead, placing a gloved hand on Jean's. "Go on, now."

"It's just..." She hesitated, looking up at the both of them. Rogue was nodding for her to continue. "She just hasn't been herself lately. The way she begged Scott to come with us to Cabana's even though she's underage, then the whole way she followed him around the pool yesterday for a half hour until he finally talked to her."

Jubilee looked to Rogue, creasing her eyebrows as she saw her friend accept every word, shaking her head in shame. Somehow she wasn't as convinced.

"Then last night she practically pulled Scott into the backseat so he could sit next to her…and-oh my gosh-the way she _threw_ herself at him when we did get there. Oh, and you should've _seen_ the way she was dressed."

"Was it _that_ bad?" Rogue asked, in shock. Jean nodded reluctantly.

"See, that's why I didn't want to tell anyone!" She exclaimed, "It's embarrassing to even talk about, you know what I mean? Like...I'm embarrassed _for_ her."

"Oh I know _exactly _what you mean, darlin'. And someone should be! But they're out there, and they'll do it! They'll do any old thing it takes and not have a bit a shame about it, neither." Rogue answered.

"And what's _Scott_ think about all this." Jubilee asked unsympathetically.

"He doesn't say. Scott's too much of a gentleman to bad mouth her. But I can tell he's tired of it. He just can't imagine...hurting her feelings."

"That poor fella!" Rogue drawled. Jubilee narrowed her eyes.

"Thanks, guys. I really did need to let _someone_ know all that I've had to put up with lately. I just don't know how much more I can take." Jean sighed. Jubilee rose from her seat.

"Well we're really sorry about all that Jean, but we have a lunch date at Taco Hut. Come on, Rogue." She said, nudging the other mutant in her shoulder. Rogue looked at her friend, confused at her rushing and stood.

"We'll be back later if you wanna talk." Rogue offered before being shoved out of the kitchen by her friend.

"Ow! Hey what-" Rogue stopped when she was shushed loudly by Jubilee, "_What is your problem_?" She whispered. Jubilee grabbed her friend's arm, leading the both of them safely out of hearing distance from the kitchen.

"Well _you, _for one thing." She finally answered, tossing Rogue's arm to the side.

"Me? What do you mean, _me_?" She demanded.

"You! Being sucked into that _load_ that Jean was feeding you! You're unbelievable, Marie! Are you really that starved for good ol' fashion southern gossip that you'd really believe that heap of crap she was saying?" She nearly yelled, pointing in the direction they came from.

"Whoa whoa hey there. Hold on, Jubes. First things first: do _not_ bring the south into this-whatever it is." Rogue said, her accent becoming thicker with her irritation, "Second: you're telling me you don't believe what Jean was saying?"

"No way! I know for a fact that she was lying about at least one part of that story. At the _very_ least."

"And how's that?" Rogue asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Uh _duh_, Rogue. We were _at_ the pool yesterday? You saw Storm just as well as I did; she was on the patio reading! And Scott approached _her_ after Jean left, remember?"

Rogue shrugged stubbornly, "I dunno. Can't recall."

Jubilee stood in front of her friend with her wrists on her hips, skepticism saturating her face. "Let me ask you something. You've known Storm for _how long_ now?" She didn't wait for an answer before she continued, "When have you _ever_ seen her act that way over an-y guy? Or dress inappropriately? Huh?" This time she did wait for a response from the brunette, and when none came she was even more sure that Jean had not been honest with them. "Exactly."

"Well, so what? Even if I haven't seen it, I know she probably did all of it! I mean, how do you think she got _Remy_ to fall for her little act? She probably did just the same thing with him!" She folded her arms while she spoke and Jubilation Lee sighed, throwing her arms in the air.

"Not this thing _again_." She groaned.

"It ain't a 'thing'!" Marie snapped.

"Rogue, it is! You really need to stop this personal vendetta you have against Storm just because Remy broke up with you! That's not her fault!" She explained for the umpteenth time since the two had split a year ago.

"You tell me that again when you get a man and she snatches him from _you_. The way Jean tells it, it shouldn't be _too_ long 'till that happens!"

"Whatever. I'm gonna go ask Remy. You two are out of your minds." She finally said, leaving Rogue to search for Gambit.

"Wait! I thought we were going to Taco Hut!"

break

Remy made his way quickly down the hall and down the stairs. He needed an aspirin... and coffee. _Don' even feel healthy, bein' up dis early._ He didn't understand how people could rise with the sun to do their jogging, or check the mail..._Whatevah the hell folks do at shittin' eight in de mornin'._

He fought himself mentally his entire trip, trying to keep from thinking about Ororo, when she was in fact the only thing on his mind. He wanted to talk to her, but hoped against everything that he didn't run into her anytime soon. He wanted to know what she was thinking, but dreaded it at the very same time.

He had loved the way her body felt against his ...her skin...her lips... but he hated himself for letting himself get carried away with her. Those few moments could very well have meant the end of their friendship, and as much as he would love to touch her-_feel_ her the again way he had last night, he would gladly give that up if it would damage their existing relationship in any way. _Christ...please don't let her hate me._

"Remy! Wait, slow down!" His thoughts were interrupted by a winded Jubilee calling after him from down the hall. He stopped his long strides, letting the petite Jubilation catch up to him before he answered her.

"What is it, fille?" He asked as she caught her breath. "Y'okay, chere?" She nodded and took a deep breath before she spoke.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sort of."

"Well, what is it, petite?" He asked again. He saw her expression change, as if she no longer thought it wise to say whatever she had planned to.

"I uh...wanted to ask you something." She said nervously. Remy chuckled.

"Well I gathered that much, chere. Feel free." He waited as she shifted around, making tiny noises he took as ones of uncertainty.

"I don't ...really know if I should." She admitted. She didn't want it getting back to Jean that she had been snooping around for information.

"Aw, cheriè. Remy promise he don' bite." He purred. "Ask me anyt'in y'wan'."

Jubilee finally realized she had gotten into something she couldn't get back out of and reluctantly spoke, "Well... has 'Ro been acting... _strange_, ...do you think?" She regretted asking as soon as she saw Gambit's face drop.

"Strange how, chere? Elaborate." He asked with no flirtatious drawl or fun tone in his voice.

"I don't know...just different. Like, not herself at all." She tried to comply.

"Where is she, petite? Where's Stormy?" Jubilee shrugged and watched worriedly when he brushed past her even more hurriedly than before.

_Gambit you worthless batârd._ Remy chastised himself all the way to the kitchen. _You damned dog, look what y'did. She already hate ya. Now she ain' even comf'table in de same mansion! _He'd done it, now. He'd made a pass at his Stormy. He'd taken advantage of her and she knew it. She'd never be the same toward him again.

"Hey, what's the rush, Remy?" He heard a voice as he searched through the cabinets for coffee filters. He turned, seeing a grinning Jean sitting at the counter. "Some night, huh?"

"Not now, Jeannie." He brushed her off quickly.

"I was just saying." She threw her palms up. "...Desire is an amazing thing, don't you agree?" She added as slyly as she could.

Remy's digging ceased at her words and he turned to face her cautiously. "What you mean, red?"

"Oh, nothing much," She sighed, fiddling with her fingers before continuing, "Just that when you lose yourself, you know, ... let your body take over what your mind tries to control, it's just..." She paused, inhaling sharply through her teeth. "Amazing, right?"

"If you got a point, chere, you best get to it-_quick_." He said lowly. Jean smiled sweetly and shrugged, watching intently as Remy closed the cabinets back and made to leave.

"Don't worry, the hangover effect should wear off by later today. I'm still a little rusty." She smirked when just as soon as the disappeared from the doorway, he was back and inches away from her.

"De hell you mean, you rusty?" He asked, growing infuriated when she began to laugh openly. "_Rèpondus moi_, _tu_ _sacrèmente_ _sorcière_! What de fuck d'you do!"

Jubilee jumped when she heard Remy's incoherent yelling from the kitchen. She needed to find Storm.

break

Ororo woke up a little later than she usually did. She had the same grin glued to her face that had been there the night before. She sat up, remembering in crystal detail what had transpired between her and Remy and smiled again.

The way he had touched her had melted her completely. She wasn't sure if that was his intention, but he had her totally under his spell. Her heart fluttered when he had kissed her neck, the way he spoke to her had made her tremble. And when he had finally spun her around and kissed her the way he did... she blushed even thinking about where the night would have gone had he not been the gentleman he was and left.

She let her mind run away with her in the shower. She had never thought of Remy in any way that wasn't platonic. And as much as it had made sense then, today she couldn't for the life of her understand why. Remy was handsome, he was tall, he was charming and funny. He was sweet and always there for her for whatever she needed. He was fun and he was certainly never boring.

He was her best friend.

"Hmm...that's probably why." She mumbled to herself. It didn't matter, though. She thought differently now.

Her euphoria halted though, when she remembered what Scott had told her earlier that evening. He liked her. She didn't even need him to say it, his actions spoke much louder than his words at Cabana's. Those words should have been heaven to her. They _were_ heaven to her until Remy had kissed her. In fact Scott hadn't even entered her mind until that very moment. He hadn't existed, nothing else had. Just her and Remy.

She smiled when she stepped out of the shower. Maybe it was time to talk to him about all of this.

break

Remy squeezed his fists tighter and clenched his teeth harder while Jean spoke to him, explaining how she had used her telepathy the night before to dissolve Remy's restraint, and did more than her share to help him move in on her.

"But the kiss," she laughed, standing, "_that _was _all _you, baby." Her laughter didn't subside even when Gambit grabbed her arm and snatched her to him.

"If you were a man I'd kill you dead, damn you." He spoke slowly and coldly, watching Jean's smile finally disappear with his words. She wrenched her arm from him.

"So there they are. Finally found your boys, huh, Remy?" She said, her words growing more malicious, "Way to break them in, threatening a woman."

"You ain' no woman. You a _shrew_. A damn _demon-_ ain' got no heart ain' got no brain, jus' yo' damn plannin' an' connivin' an' jealousy. You a _witch._"

"And just why exactly am I a witch, Remy?" She asked lowly, "Why? Because I let you do what you'd only _dreamed _about doing for years? Because I _helped_ you stop limiting yourself and settling for what you thought was good enough with Ororo?"

"You full of shit, Jean." He spat, "Whatchu did ain' had nothin' ta do wit' me an' Stormy. You was tryna use Remy to tear her from Scott." Jean's nostrils flared at the Cajun's audacity "You jealous of'a! 's why you got wasted las' night: cause yo' man fallin' f'Roro an' you can't stan' it. So you gotta use yo' tricks to manipulate 'im inta lovin' you."

"Oh and you're so much better than me, Remy. You sit there and watch Ororo pine over another man, _listen_ to her drool over him, talk to her about how she can get him and smile and let it eat away at you." She narrowed her eyes at him while she spoke, "Sorry. I don't lay on my pillow and wish on a star that it'll just go away. I'm going to do _what-ever_ it takes to get my man."

Remy chuckled harshly. "Tell me, Medusa, if y' gotta make it so dat you his only choice...how much of yo' man was he in de firs' place?"

"Oh you're _so _noble, Remy. Get out of here, you hypocrite. Come back whenever you wanna thank me." She said, beginning to walk away. She stopped when she felt Remy placed his hand on her neck, leading her back in front of him. They stood that way, in a fashion that would lead anyone to believe that he was a lover of hers, caressing her cheek with her thumb. Jean knew better; there was an air of danger all over him. He pulled her to him frighteningly quickly, so that their foreheads were touching.

"Fuck wit' Remy head again. You gon' need ev'ry star in de sky, mon chere sorcière." He whispered lethally. Jean shoved him away from her.

"You're insane." She hissed, "Swamp rat."

"Let Gambit fine out you done fucked up me an' Stormy. God help you den, Jeannie. You'll fine out how crazy I be." He said, leaving the kitchen to find his keys. He was on the verge of tearing the place apart. He couldn't be here. He had already overstepped his boundaries with Storm, he didn't want to traumatize her on top of that.

break

Storm had descended the stairs, entirely bubbly in her search for Remy. Her high spirits dissolved, however, when the Cajun proved nowhere to be found. Not even in his room. _Where would he have gone? _ she thought worriedly. Surely he knew that she would want to talk to him after last night. _He could've at least told me he was leaving..._

"Hey, Storm!" Ororo smiled when she passed by Jubilee.

"Hey-oh hey, hold on, Jubes." She called after her. The girl turned hearing her.

"Yeah?"

"You haven't seen Remy anywhere have you?" She asked. Jubilee started to answer, but they both turned hearing Rogue coming down the hall.

"There you are! Look, you're _taking _me to Taco Hutm so you might as well quit trying to avoiding me-oh. Hey, Storm." She said, in the unfriendliest of tones.

"Hi. Anyway, have you, Jubilee?"

"Well...yeah, I talked to him a little earlier. He was looking for you, but-"

"But what?" She interrupted. Jubilee hesitated to answer, remembering hearing him yelling so harshly from the kitchen.

"Well, he seemed pretty mad, 'Ro. _Real_ mad," She sighed, "He flew outta here a few minutes ago; I don't know where to."

"He was mad?" Storm echoed. _Why would he be mad?_

"Can you blame him? The way _you've _been acting?" Rogue intruded. Storm gave her a confused look and Jubilation struck her in the arm.

"Let's _go_." She seethed, "Sorry, Storm." She said before pulling a scowling Marie off with her.

Storm felt her stomach drop. _Oh Goddess, he's mad at me. _She shut her eyes at the realization. Of course he was furious with her. She'd completely used him as a stand-in for Scott, or at least that must have been what he thought. She was the one who initiated it, she coerced him him into crossing the line so she could live out her miniature fantasy of Cyclops.

But she couldn't help herself. He somehow held some sort of possession over her body, and she had loved every second of it.

_Way to go, 'Ro. _She sighed to herself. He probably left to keep from exploding at her. She'd thought with her body instead of her brain, and now she'd probably lost her best friend because of it.

Her eyes began to well as she headed back to her room.

break

Storm jumped when she heard a knock at the door. She had been lying in her bed until late into the evening, unsure of what to do with herself with her newly gained knowledge. The knock held a glimmer of hope for her. Hopefully Remy had cooled down by now and was willing to talk to her about what happened. If he listened to her, maybe she could convince him that she didn't view their actions as a mistake..._and he'll agree._

She opened the door and was surprised and disappointed to see Scott standing in the doorway.

"Hey, I thought you'd be up here." He smiled. She grinned too. She may have doubted the depth of her interest in the man now but damned if he wasn't gorgeous. He also still held the power to make her blush, she noticed. "I've been looking for you all day."

"Really?" She asked. She hadn't seen him that morning.

"Well, since about noon. I was feeling kinda weird this morning when I woke up, but as soon as I was better, yeah." He grinned boyishly and Storm's heart jumped to her chagrin.

"That's really sweet of you, Scott. Was there anything you wanted?" She asked.

"Not really. Jean wanted to go to some concert so I'm gonna take her. I figured you and Remy might be up here but he went to his room about five minutes ago. I just wanted to see you."

She interested was piqued at his statement. Remy had come back and hadn't even come to explain where he was or say goodnight. He must have been livid with her. But she wasn't about to let Scott know of her worries.

"I'm glad." She answered. "I hope you and Jean have fun."

He shrugged. "I'll see you tomorrow." He said before winking and turning to leave. Storm closed the door, giving herself ten minutes to avoid running into Scott in the hallway and left for Remy's room.

break

Gambit came back to the institute as angry as he had been when he left. In fact, he became even more angry. His first instinct, naturally, had been to go to Storm's room. But now that she more than likely didn't want to have anything to do with him, it was no longer an option.

He clenched his jaw when he heard a knock at the door. It wasn't anyone but Jean waiting for round two or Scott looking for Ororo. He wasn't about to be bothered tonight.

"Get de fuck away from m'door." He snapped.

Storm's breath left her, hearing the venomous words and backed away from Remy's bedroom door, so in shock that her hand flew to her mouth. She turned away and retreated to her room with her tears renewed.

She'd be up the rest of the night with them.

**TBC **

_I'd like to take the time out to apologize for my characterizations of Rogue and Jubilee if they are flawed in any way. This is my first time writing Jubilee and I've been told I do a pretty awful Rogue (hence the total lack of an attempt at her accent) _

_Thanks for reading!_


	7. New Discoveries, New Additions

**Young Hearts, Jumbled Minds**

Storm sat up in her bed when her alarm went off. She hadn't made even the slightest attempt to sleep, her thoughts were locked on Remy. His obvious anger with her, his avoidance of her for over 24 hours, his bitterness to her when she had knocked on his door, a distant second was her budding situation with Scott.

She sighed. She had run numerous scenarios through her mind, depicting how she could apologize to Remy. Over lunch, a chance encounter, through a third party... none of them ended well. As close as she and Remy were, she knew better than anyone what the Cajun was capable of when he was in an enraged state.

_At least he hasn't started eating lollipops._ She thought in the shower with minor relief. Gambit only ever ate suckers when he was on the verge of killing. Hopefully he would calm down before he got to that stage so she could have the chance to explain herself to him. She could only cross her fingers in hope that his rage hadn't gotten that far. She pushed shower curtain open, not bothering to cover up since Remy wouldn't be there. She looked around at her room. It seemed much larger and more quiet without him there, whining that he was bored or teasing her about whatever.

She sighed again. _Maybe now I can write in my diary_ she thought, bitterly. She dressed quickly and carelessly, deciding to take her writing outside. As frightened as she was about running into Gambit, she didn't feel like being cooped up in her room with her misery anymore than she already had.

break

Storm had walked on eggshells until the moment she got outside. Besides her room, it was the only place in the entire mansion where she felt she could effectively avoid Remy.

"Storm?" Ororo turned, when she saw peeved looking Rogue walk up to her. She waited for her to continue, thinking it best not to answer. As distraught as she was about her current situation, Storm never wanted to unintentionally take her frustrations out on anyone else. But she could tell just by looking at the brunette that it wasn't the same way with Rogue. She stopped in front of her, nostrils flared and breathing heavy. 'Ro was confused, Marie looked as if she had a bone to pick with her. "Look, I heard all about what you've been doing around here." Storm froze at her words. 'What she had been doing.' _What could she have possibly heard? And from whom? _"I just want you to know, " She continued heatedly, "As much as I don't like you, and as much as I'm _not_ surprised, I still think you're a real bitch for it. You _know_ Jean and Scott are together, but you're gonna screw around with him anyway? _Right in front of her face?"_

Storm felt as if someone had dumped ice on her, hearing Rogue's accusations. Was that what she was doing? Is that what _other_ people saw?_But Scott came to me...he approached me... _"Who told you that?" She stammered.

"Why does it matter? I'm talking about _you_. You and whatever this problem is you have with stealing men."

"What?" Storm choked. She could the heat rushing to her face and neck. It was getting difficult to breathe. _Stealing men?_

"That's right, Storm. It's funny, you know? I thought _I _ was the only one who could see through you. But, nope, I was wrong. Jean, Jubilee _and_ me know you're a plotting little attention whore. _Everyone _does... and how you think you've got everyone here under your spell. Guess what: you _don't. _No one thinks it's cute. It's getting ridiculous, Storm. Do you even know what you're doing when you play your little games and try to act all innocent and flirt and all this other bullshit you pull?" She paused, watching Storm swallow under her glare, "You're screwing up _real relationships_, Storm. Like Jean's and Scott's. Like mine and Remy's. For your little imaginary ones. Just cause you can't find anyone who wants or likes you, you have to snatch one up that's already taken. You did it with my man, and now you've done it with Jean's. Congratulations! Do you _think_ you made your point?" Storm stood, wordlessly, "Just what I thought: nothing to say now that someone confronts you. We got words for wenches like you where I'm from." Rogue spat before stomping off, making sure to knock into the goddess' shoulder.

Storm held her arm, where Rogue had run into her, unable to move. _Oh God. That's what they think of me. _Jean, Scott, Rogue, Remy, Jubilee and who ever else knew anything about what had been happening the past few days. _That's what they all think._ Wordlessly, she sped further away from the mansion, plopping onto the ground and opening her diary. She ignored the growing lump in her throat as she read her previous entry.

_So stupid. _She thought, reading over her last Scott-themed pages._ How can you be so stupid. _She didn't even feel like the same person anymore_. _She wasn't. The girl who wrote those things, she realized, was a giddy, blind, ignorant teenager. A bimbo who couldn't see what she had. And because of that girl's actions, she lost her ability to reason... her common sense... her reputation... her self-respect ...the respect of her peers... her best friend.

Storm's eyes began to sting, but she blinked furiously, thinking herself undeserving of tears. She began to write, in a heated attempt to keep her emotions under control.

_Diary, why can I see so clearly now how I'd been using him-in every way possible? Why couldn't I see it then? Every time I've taken interest in someone I've used him. I used him psychologically everytime I asked how I looked in something-how they'd think I would look, every time I asked him how I should approach someone, what I should say to them, and emotionally everytime a guy hurt me and he'd stay up with me while I cried over him-when he comforted me and reassured me. And now I've used him physically because I wanted something more than what I had._

She stopped writing, looking up at the darkening sky and tucked her hair behind her ears. She should've known that he was enough. That he'd always been. She inhaled shakily and began to write again.

_Now he hates me. I can't even blame him. I've probably drained his soul by now. How could he take anymore from me? What kind of friend am I...I put a wedge between him and the girl that he loved. He told me himself that he loved her. But somehow, I don't know how, but somehow I separated them. I know I did. I must have. Apparently that's all I'm good for, because I'm doing the same thing with Scott. And Jean...how on earth can I explain myself to her? I can't even imagine how she must feel after what I did. And Rogue!_

Tears began to stain the pages while she wrote, but Storm ignored them.

_God, how can I fix everything that I've messed up? _

"Hey, look who's out!" Ororo jumped, looking up to see a sprightly Scott walking towards her. He stopped, however, seeing her teary eyes and miserable expression. "Are you crying?" The change from playful excitement to tender concern was too much for her to handle right now. "Storm!" She made for the doors, but his long strides caught her before she could reach them. He stopped her just before she could reach the inside. Thunder rolled when he placed his hands on either side of her face, lifting her face up gently to look in her eyes. "Storm, what's wrong?" She closed her eyes, shaking her head as the sky began to open up above them. It wouldn't matter if she told him everything. What could he do? What could either of them do? "Ororo," He asked more concerned, making the tears multiply, "Babydoll, tell me what happened. Tell me what happened, it's okay." She brushed past him and hurried inside, ignoring his voice behind her. "Storm, wait! Storm!" He called out to her, still standing in the heavying downpour.

Ororo was fighting the sobs racking her body as she sped through the institute. She was forced to stop when she was only halfway up the stairs, having to hold onto the rail to breathe. She took several deep breaths before sinking onto the steps, finally succumbing to her emotions, and buried her face into her knees while she released her tears.

"Chere..."

Storm's heart stopped when she heard the voice coming from in front of her. She looked up slowly, afraid to look the surprisingly worried Remy. Her mind screamed for her to leave. She wanted nothing more than to run away and not have to face him... but seeing his concern for her made her forget her fear of his anger, and her heart made her too heavy to move. She silently watched him, her heart racing wildly, expecting him to snort and step over her. She held her breath, seeing him ascend the stairs and kneel before her. She recoiled when he reached out to her and sobbed quietly when he pulled her into his chest, adjusting them both until she was comfortable.

"Qu'est-ce qu'il y a?" He asked soothingly, rubbing her back in small circles. "Remy here, chere, it's alright now." She felt her heart glow at his words and shut her eyes, clinging to him for her life. He held her for several minutes, trying his best to comfort her. He looked down at tthe crown of her head, feeling his heart break as she shook with her small sobs while the storm grew steadily outside.

Finally, when it seemed that she'd calmed, he turned her chin, making her face him. "What's wrong, Stormy?" She released her grip on him and looked in his eyes. They held so much sympathy-hurt...for her. But there was something behind them, something he didn't want her to see. She could tell too clearly. "Remy'll fix it, chere. He promise." He said when she didn't answer, "Tell me what's wrong."

Storm clutched his shirt, shutting her eyes tightly when his words registered. She was doing it again. She was using his hurt to ease hers, using his concern to release her despair. And he was letting her. He would keep doing it, she realized, until he resented her forever. Until he truly hated her. The thought terrified her and she choked back a gasp, pushing away from him.

Remy watched as Storm's expression changed from sadness to horror and loosened his hold on her before she shoved him back. She stood and didn't dare look at him again before climbing the rest of the stairs and rushing to her room. He watched her disappear, helpless to do anything. _God damn you to hell, Remy Lebeau, you done it again. You done lost yo' Stormy._ He thought hopelessly before retreating back down the staircase. He'd, once again, pressed his boundaries past their limit. She'd never want to be close to him again after that moment, and it was, once again, entirely his fault.

break

"Failure!" Jubilee yelled, spilling popcorn all over the floor.

"Death!" Rogue yelled almost simultaneously. They both groaned their disapproval when the man on the television gave his answer.

"Wow, who's afraid of unemployment? Are you kidding me?" Marie complained from the floor.

"I know! How'd he even get on the show!" Jubilee heatedly agreed. She looked over at Gambit, who'd been sitting quietly in the corner. "Come on, Remy, you don't want to play?" She asked, watching him open his third tootsie pop for the evening.

"Non, petite," He answered, "Remy don' like de feud." He lied. It was his favorite game show. He would be watching it with Storm that very moment if she wasn't repulsed at the very sight of him.

"I'll play, what's the question?" They all turned to see a grinning Bobby in the doorway.

"Something a man fears, but would never admit." Jubilee answered him.

"Oh... I bet it's inferiority." He laughed.

"It's women." A lower, gruffer voice answered from behind Bobby.

"_Logan_!" The squeals from Jubilee and Rogue were unanimous. Logan laughed when they knocked him off balance hugging and incoherently greeting him.

"How long are you here for, man?" Bobby asked. Logan grunted, not caring to hide his indifference of the Iceman.

"Until somethin' else better comes up. Where is everybody?" He asked, seeing that Gambit was the only other one present.

"The storm must've put them to sleep or something." Jubilee shrugged as she and Rogue retook their seats.

"Huh." Logan responded quietly. Seeing everyone's attention gradually revert back to the television, he slipped out of the t.v. room to put his things away. There was someone he needed to see.

**TBC**

_Uplifted- You're absolutely right about Gambit's powers, but for the sake of this measely little fic I stripped him of one of his gifts. (don't kill me!) haha. And yes, I purposely put the word 'break' in a couple of my fics. I usually put in a pretty little design for time lapse, but I ran out of ideas for those lol. I would use the break lines from the website, but I haven't figured out how to do it from my phone (which is where I write and submit my fics from (which results in many typos and grammatical errors). I hope this clears everything up!_

_Thanks everyone for your reviews! You keep me writing with a smile! X) -like that._

_P.S. I must admit this is one of the more boring chapters, but I promise the next update will be nice and juicified lol_


	8. Turbulence

**Young Hearts, Jumbled Minds**

Logan cracked Storm's door open as quietly as he could. "You in here, 'Ro?" She sat up from the intrusion, trying her best to rub the puffiness from her eyes.

"Logan?" She croaked out hoarsly as he came through the door.

"Yeah, it's me. Are ya busy?"

"No, come in." She scooted up from her horizontal position while Logan closed the door behind him. "When did you get here?" She asked, sinking with his weight on the edge of her bed. He grunted, pulling something out of his jacket that she couldn't make out in the dark of her room.

"A little earlier," he answered absent mindedly, "Kinda weird though. It's sunny all through Westchester. 'Bout a mile outside'a here, clouds and wind start getting pretty bad. Then I get here and it's damn armageddon outside." He cocked an eyebrow at Ororo. She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, it must be one of those weird new 'isolated storms' I hear about on that one channel...the one they have for weather." She snipped.

"Yer right. The new kind that forms over land. In minutes." He shrugged when Storm turned away from him and back to the small glowing television. "You know, they're watchin' this downstairs." He commented.

"Good for everyone downstairs."

"Something you trying to avoid down there?"

"No." She answered too quickly, "I'm already up here. Why move?"

Logan began to reply, but was stopped short when Scott swung open the door, to the surprise of both.

"Storm, what's going on? Why won't you talk to..." Cyclops calmed himself, seeing the male at the end of her bed and cleared his throat. "Logan." He nodded, folding his arms.

"Pansy." He greeted back, "Me and Storm are catchin' up, so..." He trailed, assuming Cyclops would take the hint. He didn't. Logan shrugged. "You wanna maybe get the hell out?"

Scott sneered at him, choosing to ignore his typical negativity toward him. "Storm." He pleaded. She reluctantly looked up at him, gritting her teeth the entire time. "I'm not going anywhere until I know you're okay." Logan groaned loudly, all too confident that she wanted Scott gone as much as he did.

"I'm fine." She finally answered. Scott eased at her answer. His hearing was not as sharp as Wolverine's. He did not notice the quivering in her otherwise controlled voice. Scott's eyes sank shut.

"Are you sure?" He asked, opening them again.

"She said she was fine, Scooter, don't call her a liar." Logan said, getting up quickly and pushing him out of the room before closing the door behind him.

"Thanks." 'Ro sighed wearily.

"What's goin' on." He dismissed her gratitude, pulling out a lone match and lighting the half-smoked cigar he held with it.

"Don't smoke that in here!"

"Don't _avoid_ the _subject_," he countered, " It's not like I can go outside."

Storm scrunched her nose while he puffed away. "What's goin' on." He asked again.

"Why do you even care?" She snapped.

"Well," He started, sitting at the chair in front of Storm's vanity mirror, "See, I've been gone for a while doing stuff. I needed a vacation-that's why I came here." Storm shrugged a 'So what?' . "I'd rather not have it be 'The Day After Tomorrow' outside the entire time I'm here." He nodded towards the window, where the rain, albeit lighter, was steadily falling. "I got time."

"You also have your own business to mind." Storm huffed.

"Ok. You need help startin'?" He leaned forward, glaring directly at her. "I'll help you. '_Me and Remy are fighting because...'" _ He said in his best impression of the goddess. She narrowed her eyes. To say the least, it was a less-than-flattering imitation.

"What makes you think _anything _has to do with Remy?" She asked defensively.

"He does."

"You're lying." She said, her distress making her voice crack.

"Look, we can do this if you really want, but I already know it's about Gumbo. He's down there sulking and pouting in a corner, making that same face you are right now." Storm slumped in her bed and wiped her cheeks of the few stray tears that had managed to free themselves. "Hey..." he said more softly, "If it makes ya feel better, I could give a shit and a half about what goes on between you two. I'm helping out purely fer my own benefit."

Storm laughed, wiping her eyes again, "That's supposed to make me feel better?"

"Yup. I'll leave ya alone as soon as it hits about eighty. You'll never have to see me again." He answered, "Talk to me."

break

"Where were you?" Jean beamed as Scott descended the stairs. She had been waiting for him to get ready for their lunch date, which was odd enough. He was usually, if not always, the one who was waiting for _her._ "Scott! Why are you all wet?" She practically yelled, seeing him dripping on the floor.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I was outside when it started raining."

"Well, how long did it take you to figure out that it _was?_ You're drenched! There aren't going to be anymore tables if we don't leave soon!" Scott blinked hard to keep from rolling his eyes at the redhead.

"Jean, honey, maybe we should just go another time." He said, stepping past her.

"Baby, " She pulled on his arm, smiling sweetly when he turned to face her, "We can still make it, though. Just hurry and change, we can probably get a patio table or something."

"I'd have to shower." He said dully.

"You can't just do it when we get back?"

"_Jean._" He said firmly, spinning around to face her. Her smile dropped. "I'm not going. I don't want to." He looked her back and forth in the eyes, waiting for her to protest...to dismiss his declining and tell him she would be waiting for him in the car.

When she didn't; when he was only met with a dumbstruck Jean, he almost didn't know what to do with himself. He shifted his weight, deciding to leave her to accept his newly found backbone.

"Where did you just come from." He froze solid when the question came from behind him. He turned slowly, being met with her back.

"What?"

"Just now." She spoke through gritted teeth, "Upstairs. Where?" Scott wrinkled his forehead, finding himself stammering.

"I was checking on-"

"Storm?" Jean finished. Scott remained silent, " I figured as much. You've seemed to develop a real interest in her lately." Scott closed the distance between them when her voice began to escalate.

"Jean, I was just checking on her. You saw the sun out ten minutes ago just like I did, I wanted to see if she was okay."

"Oh okay. So...is that what you were doing at Cabana's?"

Scott still didn't want breathe a word. The question was loaded. "...what?"

She asked slowly, "Is that what you were doing at Cabana's? '_Checking on her_?' Cause I don't remember it raining at _all_ that night. But you still seemed to be really concerned about her well-being."

"Jean, nothing happened at Cabana's. I took her upstairs to the pool hall, that's _it. _'Ro and I are just-" He spoke, rubbing her arm only to have it snatched away.

"Just _what?_ _Friends?_" She yelled, stepping away from him. Scott ran a hand firmly down his face, trying to will her voice to a lower level.

"Jean."

"No, Scott, tell me! I wanna know! Is that what you were going to say?" She yelled again, "Because that sure as hell isn't what I saw-you holding her _this _close to you, whispering all in her ear, pulling her off upstairs where you can do whatever the hell you want without me seeing. Oh! And then kissing her when we get home!" Scott's face fell to stone when her scathing words left her. "Yeah. You didn't think I saw, huh."

"I'm not having this argument with you, Jean." He stated simply. If he didn't deny it, he would not look guilty.

"You don't have to!" She screamed back at him, "_Tell_ me what you were going to say!" Scott's nostrils flared, but he kept himself in check, "Tell me _now_! Were you gonna say 'friends', or was it something else! What- ''Ro and I are just '_fucking'_ behind your back'? ''Ro and I are just '_together'?" _Scott's face reddened at her accusation and language. He had had enough.

"So what if we are? _We're_ not!" He seethed, gesturing between himself and the smouldering redhead, "You make it clear to me every time you get the chance! _We're not together, Jean!_ " She flinched when his voice reached the same volume as hers, "Even though I run around like your little _dog_ doing whatever you want, getting whatever you want, _saying_ whatever you want, _we aren't a cou-ple!_" He began to leave her fuming in the hall, but stopped and turned again to face her. "You know what, I'm gonna risk sounding pompous and say this anyway: How _dare_ you accuse me of _any_ sort of infidelity." He shouted. His voice was cracking now, and his eyes began to redden, but Scott wasn't the kind of guy to cry. He wasn't going to start now. "As _many_ times as I've made _plans_ for us, or _cooked_ for you, or made _reservations_, or bought _tickets_ to somewhere just to have Logan breeze through here and have _you_ dismiss me to go be googoo-eyed all over him. I've _never_ questioned you going off with him and doing God knows what for however long-however often while I stood around like an idiot! While I ignored every guy in the mansion telling me what you were doing!" He shook his head furiously, squeezing his temples against the oncoming migrane. "Goddamn you, Jean! I can't even count the things I do for you! Ridiculous things! Things that only _husbands _do-that I'd never even _think_ about doing for another girl! You won't even give me the earned right to at _least_ say that I'm your goddamn boyfriend!"

Jean watched as he ran his hands over his face again, realizing the consequences of her short temper much too late.

"I'm done Jean. I can't do this anymore, I'm sick of it." He spoke through the cracking of his voice again. He had never realized how truly weary of her selfishness he was until then. Weary of how she could treat him like a slave and in the same breath, drive accusations through his heart. She had done it all without even blinking. And now she had dragged him down to her level with scheming and yelling and cursing. He was sickeningly embarrassed with himself. "I'm done." He backed away, with his palms up before turning away from her again.

"_Do not..._ walk away from me." She said dangerously. Scott found himself turning, once again to face her; spun around by some unseen force. "You're not done with _anything. We_ aren't done!" Scott narrowed his eyes. She seemed like a spoiled child, the way she was behaving. It was disgusting him. "Juan said he'd have tables until two thirty. Go upstairs and change, we're _going._"

"I'm not going _anywhere_ with you. I'm not telling you again." He spoke through clenched jaws, "You want to eat? _Get some other jackass to take you_." He answered harshly, pulling free from her hold on him and walking off. "You might want to hurry, you dont want to be late." He spat over his shoulder. Jean stood and watched him leave, her face now a deep beet red.

break

"So, what're you two fightin' about." Logan asked. They had sat in silence for quite a time; Ororo was going to need pushing if she was going to spit out what was going on.

"We're not fighting. Not technically." She finally answered.

"'Not technically', eh?" He mumbled. "Okay...so what _technically _are you doin'?" He asked. Storm leaned forward, not entirely sure of how to word herself.

"Logan, has a girl ever liked you, ...like _really _liked you, ...but you didn't want to have anything to do with her?"

"Yeah. Shit happens." He answered around the cigar, "Why."

"When you're that girl, and you know that the guy feels that way, ...what are you supposed to do?" She asked tearily. Logan sighed loudly.

"Jesus. You're not tellin' me that's what's goin' on between you and Gumbo..."

She sniffed, not bothering to look up at the man. "Christ." He groaned again. "Look, maybe you oughta tell me exactly what happened."

break

Rogue glanced at Gambit sideways while he continued sulking in the dark corner of the room. Jubilee was so consumed by Family Feud with Bobby that she hadn't even noticed that she'd stopped playing. Remy hadn't noticed either, they had all faded into the background long ago for him. He humphed his dissatisfaction when he reached the disgusting part of the Tootsie Pop. He grunted, pushing himself out of his seat and making to the kitchen for another one, stepping over the Rogue on his way out.

She watched after him as he left, leaning on her elbow to see through the doorway and into the kitchen.

"Six." Jubilee shouted.

"Four." Bobby countered. They both subconsciously drifted closer to the t.v. hearing the next question in the lightning round.

"February!"

"September!"

Rogue grew extremely aggrivated when Remy disappeared from the kitchen, she clicked her tongue loudly when he didn't return, not taking too much time to decide to go after him.

"His dog!"

"It's his best friend!" Bobby shouted, "I would know. I'm a guy." He said, reaching for the popcorn. Jubilation scoffed when he smirked at her.

"Please, Bobby, you're as bad as the people on the show." She said, snatching the bowl before he could take it and getting a handfull for herself.

"Get real, Jubes, I _killed_ you this round!"

"You wanna _bet_?"

Their voices faded as Rogue looked in the kitchen for Remy. He had disappeared quickly, but Rogue didn't figure he got too far. She exhaled, seeing him outside, leaning against the wall. She opened the large glass screen door and shut it behind her, waiting for him to acknowledge her presence. He didn't, in fact she was surprised when he fished out a cigarette and lit it with his finger.

"So are you just gonna sit around and mope forever?" She asked, folding her arms. She shrugged when his only response was his exhaling smoke from his lungs, "This is pretty pathetic of you, Remy."

"Dis ain't got a damn thing ta do wit' you, Rogue." He said lowly.

"Oh I know what it's about, that's why it's so pathetic. So she's flirting with Scott, you act like your world is ending."

"Get from out here, chere. Y'ont even know what you talkin' about. An' you gon' say somethin' you'll regret." He warned, "Leave now while I can still tolerate de sight'a you." Marie nearly jumped when she was finally met by his glare.

"That's not fair," she argued, refusing to leave even though the wind was whistling and the roof hardly protected them from the stinging rain, "You know, you don't have to be such an asshole every time I try to talk to you. Whether you wanna admit it or not, there was a time when I was your girlfriend, and I _thought_ your best friend." He didn't budge, and she continued, "Excuse me if I assumed you'd let me in on your problems." She gauged him again, but he was still stone, "I wanna help, Remy. You think I like seeing you like this?" She asked, having to raise her voice considerably against the weather. He kept his glare on her before finally blinking hard and dropping his gaze again. Rogue finally shook her head, waving him off and making to go back inside.

"I don' need ta be around her." he finally admitted between lengthy drags, "Gon' take some gettin' used to. Me an' Stormy togetha all th'damn time." he chuckled ruefully. "Mopin' an' leavin' de only ways Remy can deal with it dat don' involve chargin'." Rogue grinned. She had been sure he wasn't going to bite, but he was vulnerable now, and she could work her magic.

"And smoking?" She added, stepping closer to him. He smiled.

"Hmm. Oui. Dey's always that." He grinned up at her as she stepped in front of him, getting pelted by heavy drops of rain. "'Ey!" He nearly shouted. Rogue squealed when he snatched her to him quickly by her waist. He fought the urge to grin when she began to laugh. "Are y'crazy, cheriè, you'll catch pneumonia out hea!" She only smiled at his scolding, throwing her head back and laughing again. Remy couldn't help but grin then. Her laugh was always one of his greatest weaknesses. "Why you out here?" He asked once she had quieted. She bit her lip, dropping her gaze to his chest.

"I told you I don't like seeing you all mopey and sad." Remy stopped the hand that was toying with his jacket.

"I know y'did." He purred, "But why you out here...right now?" He asked, pulling her closer.

"Well, I don't know..." She cooed from under bashful eyelashes.

"Remy think you do." Gambit hummed, dropping his gaze to her lips and pulling her closer.

break

Logan's eyebrows shot up as Storm told him what had developed over the past few days, exhaling when he finally did find something to say.

"So, you think yer in love with him or what?"

"I don't know..." She held her hands in her face, "I don't know."

"Well, maybe you oughta figger that out, huh?"

"And what? Tell him?" She snapped at him. "He wouldn't _care_! He wouldn't even want to be around long enough for me to explain!"

Logan sat back in his chair, scratching the back of his hair, "He's really that mad at ya, huh?"

"You said you saw him downstairs, right?" She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah."

"Did he have any candy?" She asked matter-of-factly.

"He had a tootsie pop."

Storm nodded, "He's that mad." Logan grumbled something she couldn't understand. "I don't know what to do." She breathed.

"Well, I'll be honest with ya, Storm," She looked up at him, dreading whatever he was about to say. It couldn't have been good with that introduction, "If he really hates you as much as you say and you wanna be more than just friends with him...it can't get you anywhere good." He reluctantly looked back up at her, seeing her eyes and entire body language crying for him to help her, "I mean, it sounds like the bridge is already burnin', darlin'." He felt his stomach drop her she closed her eyes. It wasn't the easiest thing in the world to hear, he figured.

"What do I do?" She begged in a whisper. He slicked his hair back.

"Rip the band-aid." He stated simply.

Storm's expression changed to one of confusion, "You mean, cut off contact?" He nodded, "How?"

"However you think will give you closure and give him a clear message." He said, "Cold turkey." He waited for a response or reaction from the goddess and shrugged when it didn't come, "Think you can do that?"

Storm chewed her thumbnail, trying to think of some gesture that would do just that.

"Can you wait in here for a minute?" She asked. Logan nodded, watching her jump up from the bed and digging through her drawers, digging up t-shirts, sweat pants, basketball shorts and boxers.

"Them all Gumbo's?" He asked while she folded the small pile of clothes and gathered them into a bundle.

"Yeah." She answered, pausing and looking over all of the clothes she had stolen from him. She almost chuckled, some of these things he had been asking about for weeks. But she shook all the fondess from her thoughts. This was to be her band-aid. She hoisted them up and Logan held the door open for her as she made her way down the stairs to find Remy.

Storm nearly stumbled several times down the stairs and decided to go through the kitchen so she could rearrange the pile in a way that she could see easier over it. She grunted, leaning over and dropping them on the table when something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. It was Rogue. _What is she doing outside?_ She thought, stepping closer to where she saw the brunette laughing. Then she saw him. Remy was with her. He had his arm around her. And he was _smiling._ Storm stood fast, growing so livid at the picture before her that her eyes began to cross and her sight burned red before letting her anger go with the largest roll of thunder she could muster. Seeing the both of them jump, she snatched the clothes up from the table, letting them fall loose from their neat folds and stomped back up the stairs.

break

Rogue leapt from him and screeched when an unearthly bang of thunder sounded above them and nearly shook the entire grounds. Remy released her, coming back to his senses from her temptation.

"You wanna head over to the steakhouse? I'll buy you a drink." She offered. Her hopes were squashed, though, when she saw him avoiding eye contact again.

"Non, chere. Gone inside." He answered shortly. Rogue huffed her defeat, inching her way back to the door.

"Well...you don't have to worry about hiding out anymore, at least. She won't be bothering you after today." She said.

"...Who?" She turned when he called after her.

"Storm. I told her to leave you alone." She smiled. Remy straightened, now staring into her soul.

"_What did you do_?" he asked dangerously.

"I told her that everyone knew what she was up to and to leave you-" She gasped when he pressed her firmly against the wall.

"Maudite vache! Baisez-vous!" Rogue's eyes widened as he cursed her in words she couldn't understand. "I should'a known you'd be waitin' somewhere to pull dis shit. Waitin' fo' Remy to fall in yo' little trap. I won't do it again. Not ever. _I don't want you, Rogue. We done. Finis. An' I had enough'a yo' games. I done told you nicely too many times." _He seethed through his teeth. He breathed in deep, attempting to calm himself and released her. "You stay away from Stormy. Don' you ever talk to her again. _Ever._ An' if you see me after today, don' even look in m'direction. Remy can't stomach anythin' about y'stupid ass. Never again, Rogue. You undastand?" He watched her fearful eyes fill with tears and almost pitied her until she suddenly turned angry and shoved him away.

"Who said I wanted you, swamp rat?" She yelled at him, "No one gives a damn about you but your dumb little white haired whore."

"Bon," he answered, "Tell'em de feelin's mutual. An' if you don' want me as much as you say den get out m'business an' stay th'fuck outta my life. Goodnight." He turned and left as Rogue did the same in the opposite direction.

**TBC**

_That felt a little long to me...I hope it wasn't too long. Anyway, all the major angst is just about done I think lol, as a teenager I'd just like to milk it as long as possible. It's only natural, right? Haha. Thanks for reading!_

_Quick S/N: I'm not entirely sure who asked at the moment, but this is a mission free fic. I totally find myself lacking the skill to incorperate missions into fics. Lol maybe with a little practice in the future though, who knows!_


	9. Bedside Talks

**Young Hearts, Jumbled Minds**

Remy stormed up the stairs, completely done with this entire web that Jean had spun. He was through walking on eggshells with his Stormy. If she never wanted him to lay a finger on her again, that was fine. But he refused to have her slip from his life over jealous foolishness. He was going to talk to her.

But he needed to cool down. Rogue's expression was still vivid in his mind from when he'd finally told her off. He didn't want to talk to Storm while he was still fuming like he was and risk scaring her to death. He'd be better off cooling down in his room before he spoke to her.

break

Storm slammed her door behind her, completely forgetting that Logan was still even in her room and looking slightly puzzled.

"Well, shit, what happened, Sparky?" He finally asked when she sat at her bed. It wasn't good, whatever it was. He could feel the heat rolling off of her the minute she walked in. "Come on, what happened?"

"I ripped the band-aid, Logan, like you said!" She snapped at him. He looked at her oddly, but then relaxed. Whatever she had done, it looked to him as if it was going to work afterall.

"Sounds like you left blood, Sparky." He grumbled, pushing himself up from his seat, "Way to go. I'll see ya 'round."

Storm watched him helplessly as he made his way to the door, completely shocked at his abandoning her.

"What are you talking about? " She yelled. Logan turned back toward her and cocked an eyebrow.

"I'll see you later." He said more slowly, again reaching for the door.

"You're leaving me here alone?" She spoke again. Logan released the knob and shoved his hands in his pockets, sighing at her.

"That's the way I found ya." He shrugged.

"But you just made me-"

"_Suggested that_."

Storm rolled her eyes and Logan's correction, "Whatever! I just cut off contact with my closest companion and now you're just gonna leave?"

"I told you I would. You're a big girl, Storm. You can handle it, I promise." He assured her gruffly before opening the door and closing it behind him. Ororo could feel herself begin to shake and launched a pillow at the door from her frustration.

break

Remy sat on his bed, trying to even out his breathing. Half an hour sitting in the dark taking deep slow breaths hadn't put a dent in his rage. He stood and flipped his lightswitch on, running his fingers through his hair. His brow creased, when he saw something on the floor under his foot. He immediately grew suspicious, his bed might have been messy but he never left clothes on the floor. He stooped to pick it up and instantly recognized it. They were his shorts. The ones Storm had been sleeping in for the past week. His glance shifted to his bed, which, he discovered, had been littered with every item of clothing she had borrowed and lifted from him since they joined the X-men.

Without another thought, he swung his door open, not even bothering to close it behind him before he flew to Storm's room with his anger freshly ignited.

break

Ororo jumped when her door was flung open, and she was frozen solid when a livid Remy appeared and closed it firmly behind him.

"What de hell is dis, Stormy?" He held up the basketball shorts in his fist. She looked frantically from his hand to his glowing eyes, trying to find some courage within her to speak.

"You said you wanted your clothes back." She answered surprisingly cooly, even to herself.

"I did no such thing, chere. No' even close," he said, stepping closer to her as she backed away from him. He shook his head, "No chere, you tell me what dis is-" he said with a different inflection, "Why you actin' dis way. What's happenin' wit' us, chere. Dis ain' you an' me." Storm could feel her heartbeat quicken and rise in her throat as she was backed into her bed. She collapsed onto it, unable to break eye contact with him. "_Tell_ Remy, chere. What is dis?"

Storm felt her resolve nearly shatter, hearing his voice soften, but she stood firm and tried to keep her voice cool.

"We shouldn't talk anymore." She blurted out. She tried to sound as if she had come across some newly found independence from him, but knew the second the words left her that she wasn't at all convincing. She sounded like a bossy little girl who was mad at her friend. _Damn it, _"I think..." She tried to correct herself, "I was thinking. I don't- I think that- I can't be around you anymore."

"Uh huh..." Remy nodded, sitting next to her, "An' what brought you dis revelation, chere."

Storm shifted in her seated position, trying to con up an answer, "It was just something I'd been thinking over."

"Uh huh." He said again. He normally did this when he didn't believe her about something. It was annoying her. "Wit who." He said. She shrugged.

"Nobody!"

"Who was it tol' you to stay away from me, chere." His voice was darker now. It was threatening even. But Storm knew it wasn't a threat to her, but rather to whomever had helped her make her decision. "Was it Cyclops?"

"It was Logan." She answered. She'dn never heard him refer to Scott in such a dark way and couldn't help but be frightened for him. Logan could at least defend himself against Gambit.

"Wolvie tol' you to do dis?" He asked lowly, gesturing to the discarded basketball shorts. Storm glanced at them, and couldn't bring herself to face him afterward. He exhaled and bowed his head, running his fingers through his hair, "You ain' neva been away from me since we met, cherié. _Jamais_. Nor I you. Den we get here, an' all dis happen," he said, "Now you goin' to Wolvie fo' advice. A man you hardly know, chere, before you come to me... You hold my heart, chere. Now you throwin' it on de floor in front of me."

"What?" She could feel herself subconsciously leaning away from him on the bed. His gaze intensified as they sat there, as if he were gauging her for some reaction or hidden emotion she didn't know about.

"You wan' Remy outcha life, non?" He said, "I t'ink I should know why." He answered blankly. She bit her lips, feeling her face grow warm with unexpected anger.

"Dont talk to me like that! I don't want you out of my life, Remy! I'd never want you out of my life! But you _obviously_ don't want me around anymore so I thought I'd just make it easier for you!" She said. Remy narrowed his eyes, sitting completely dumb stricken at her outburst.

"Pardon?"

"You' heard me!" She yelled, she could feel herself losing her credibility and growing childish, but she didn't care. "You keep pushing me away, so I'm just ending this now before you have the chance to."

Remy scoffed at her left-field accusation, "What, chere, Wolvie tell ya dat, too?"

"No, smartass," she answered.

"Den who did? An' how dis supposed to fix it? You ain't endin' nothin', you jus' throwin' a fit."

"I have every right to! First you cuss me out, avoid me like the plague because you're so mad you can't even stand to be around me, then I find you with Rogue outside!" Remy shook his head at her yelling, nothing she was saying was making any sense.

"Who tol' you I was mad at you, Stormy." He said, trying to sort through the madness as clearly as he could.

"Jubilee did. She heard you yelling in the kitchen and saw you take off the other day and told me you were mad at me," Remy creased his eyebrows at her in confusion, but she continued, "Then you yelled at me and cussed me out when I tried to come and talk to you, and then I catch you trying to make out with Rogue! What was I supposed to do?"

She watched as he groaned and cradled his head in his hands, "Merde, chere," he grumbled, "It was you knockin'?"

Storm's anger faded slightly at the question, "Yeah..." She answered slowly, "Who did you think it was?"

"Jean! Or that damn Scott!"" He answered, defensively. He sighed, realizing the massive confusion that had obviously overcome the both of them within the past few days, "Dey'd been workin' my damn nerve the whole mornin', Stormy. Dey who Remy was mad at. Not you, chere. Not ever you."

"Well, then why were you avoiding me?" Storm shook her head at his confession. It didn't make sense how she could have misunderstood his behavior so completely.

"Jubilee tol' me you wasn't being yo'self." He answered. Storm turned to face him, folding her legs indian style underneath herself.

"And you assumed it was because of you?" She asked.

"What else was Remy s'posed to assume, cherié? I had jus' kissed y'de night before." He answered, looking her in her eyes. They both sat in silence for a while after that, quietly circling around the unspoken issue.

"That night I came to your room," Storm finally spoke after what seemed like an eternity, "I was going to ask you about _that_ night."

Gambit angled his body toward her and she felt a different kind of fear rush through her at his body language. She couldn't quite place it, though.

"Maybe we should talk about it now, chere." He responded.

"Storm?" They both jumped at the knock coming from her door. Remy watched as Scott opened it and stepped in, and noted Storm standing immediately at the sight of Cyclops. "I'm sorry... can we talk?" He asked. Ororo's mouth opened, but she turned to face Remy and back to Scott before stuttering incoherently.

"We'll talk later, Stormy. I need to fine somebody." He said before exiting past Scott. Storm fought the urge to call after him. This was _not_ where she wanted to leave off their conversation. Scott had just barged in on her earlier, she couldn't imagine what he could have wanted that was so important.

"Come in, Scott." She said.

-break-

Logan wrinkled his nose as he bit into his sandwich again. He wished he knew the who the dumbass was that bought Miracle Whip instead of mayo. He'd snap his neck when he did. He didn't even see the fuming Cajun barreling down the hall toward him. He did notice, however, when he was pushed against the wall by the man.

"Can I help ya, there, Gumbo?" He asked, glancing at his shirt that was now balled in Remy's fists.

"Who de fuck you t'ink you is, tellin Stormy to stay away from me." He spoke through his teeth.

"So I take it you talked to Storm, huh?" He answered.

"You damn straight. I should charge yo' ass right here." He said, tightening his grip.

"Hey, calm down, bub. I was trying to help her. _And_ you. You should be thankin' me." He said calmly.

"What de hell you mean?" He asked.

"Look," Logan answered, prying Remy's hands from his collar, "Sparky told me that you two were goin' around ignorin' each other and that you wouldn't talk to her. So I told her to do something to get yer attention."

"You tol' her to cut me off." He said, slightly confused now. Logan shrugged.

"It worked, didn't it? I mean... you're talkin' now?" He asked. Remy calmed considerably and ran a hand through his hair.

"She tol' ya dat?" He asked.

"That ain't all she told me." he grumbled.

"What else she say?" Remy asked again. Logan groaned. He was gonna catch hell for talking. But this was the only way to get the sun out, he'd tell everything.

"You really wanna know?" Logan started.

"Oui."

**TBC**

_I'm not sure why, but this chapter was particularly difficult for me to write. If it shows, I offer you my most sincere apology. I guess I'm just better at playful dialogue. Well I hope you all stick with me. There's still a little left to go before the web is unweaved! Thanks for reading!_


	10. Closing In: Part 1

**Young Hearts, Jumbled Minds**

"What's going on?" Ororo closed the door behind Cyclops as he stepped in her room, freshly changed and looking slightly troubled. Scott wasn't sure what to do with himself or if it would even be appropriate for him to sit down, it was only the second time he had been in her room- the first time being all the way in.

"I uh-" he stammered, turning to face her. He couldn't find any words for the goddess. Her hair was a little disheveled, she was clad only in a baseball t-shirt and gray sweat pants, her eyes were still puffy from her earlier bouts with tears... _and she's still beautiful._ She tucked a stray lock behind her ear, waiting for him to speak, "Uhm..."

She chuckled at him, "Come on", she said,crossing the room and pulling him to her bed by his wrist. He sat with her, watching her fold one of her legs beneath her.

"Are you alright?" he finally asked when he gathered his senses, "I mean... the sky looks like it's clearing up now, but still. I need to know. Really."

Storm looked at him in shock, "I'm okay," she nodded.

"You're sure?" he asked, "I won't be able to think clearly unless I know you're okay. You're not lying just to get me off your back are you?"

Storm watched him reach his hand out to her smaller one, and still couldn't wrap her mind around what she was hearing.

"No, I'm not. I'm fine, I promise. It was just..." she trailed, not sure what it was her own self, "It's over now." She shook her head.

Scott looked back and forth in her eyes as if he were searching them for any dishonesty, but finally exhaled and grinned, pulling her hand up to his lips.

"Good. You had me worried, there."

Storm kept her eyes locked to his even as he lowered her hand back into its previous position. He was really this concerned about her? "Why?" She spoke timidly. He met her gaze again.

"I don't know," he answered as honestly as he could. Ororo could feel herself shying away from him, feeling his eyes bare into her, "I... you're all I can think about lately."

Storm could feel her heart starting to beat out of her chest at the man. A day or two ago he didn't even surface in her mind compared to Remy. His presence, even then, had annoyed her when he had come in, but now her mind was blissfully hazed, and she was again hypnotized by her previous giddy infatuation with the X-men team leader. She felt ready to marry him, if he asked. _Goddess he's perfect._

Scott could feel himself about to go too far and say or do something prematurely-blurting out that he had broken it off with Jean and confessing that he was ready to forget her forever if she'd have him. But he stayed himself and flashed a coy smirk at her.

"Well, since you're feeling better... the ground's starting to dry a little, let me take you out for a while."

"But..." she started, seeing the huge list in her mind of reasons why it was a terrible idea.

"Storm. Go out with me." He stopped her, "You've been cooped up in this room all day, I'm not taking a 'no'." He raised an eyebrow at her, challenging her to protest. His flirtatious behavior was working to loosen her up, they both figured, when she smiled.

break

"Lawd Almighty," Remy breathed, sitting across from Logan in the now empty t.v. room, "She said she in love wit' Remy? Stormy said dat to you?"

"She said she didn't know," Logan answered between bites of his sandwich, "But I ain't gonna lie, Gumbo. Whatever you did to her, it's fer goddamn serious. I mean, the girl's bawlin' her eyes out, she's isolatin' herself...stayin in her bed clothes. If that ain't chick-love, Iunno what is."

Logan looked up when Remy gave no response. The Cajun sat, dumbfounded. There were countless thoughts running through his head... the primary one being if she was going to admit it to him or not. He shook his head. She wouldn't, now. He knew his Stormy, he'd scared it out of her the night she knocked on his door. She wouldn't admit it now until she was more than certain he felt the same way. And he would have to show her.

"So Jubes told you that Sparky was actin' weird, then told Sparky that you were pissed at her... because you were in the kitchen yelling at Jean." Logan finally concluded after running over what Remy had told him of his side of the past few days.

"Oui, homme. Dat seem ta be de case," he sighed. Logan grunted.

"Mm. Someone's gonna have to tell that squirt a thing or two about mindin' her own business."

"Leave'a 'lone," Remy interrupted him, "Petite ain't mean no harm, she always been a chatterbox. Dis ain' nobody fault but me an' Stormy's," Logan looked up at Remy's statement.

"Think so, huh,"

"Hell. It m'own damn fault. Remy should'a been told Stormy how he feel, 'stead'a teasin'a."

Logan grunted, dusting his hands of the crumbs he'd left, "Well I'm glad one of ya's finally come to yer senses. I don't need this shit waitin' for me at the door every time I show up here."

break

"Rogue?"

The brunette pulled her pillow from over her head when she heard a voice outside of her door, "Go away," she shouted and pulled the pillow back to its previous position.

"Oh, come on, Rogue, it's not that late! I need to ask you something!"

Rogue groaned heavily before sitting up in her bed and throwing her sheets off of herself, "What?" she yelled. She rolled her eyes when Jubilee cracked the door open, peeping through it.

"Geez, Rogue, it's dark as a cave in here," Jubilee commented, edging her way in.

"I'm fully aware. Don't touch that light either, I want it that way," she responded, pulling her sheets over her head when she sat down next to her, "Whaddya want?"

Jubes sat next to her friend, more than a little confused regarding her behavior, "Are you okay? Something happen earlier?"

"Is this what you wanted to ask me? 'Cause you may as well get out, now."

"Well geez, _Defensive_!" she exclaimed, "Fine. I wanted to ask you about Logan, actually."

"Jubilee... get outta my room," Rogue dismissed her.

"But I'm serious!" she whined when Marie kicked her from the edge of her bed.

"I am, too!" she yelled back, snatching herself from under the sheets, "You think I'm gonna sit here and listen to you... swoon over Logan after you gave me all that... crap about... Remy?" she paused as she slung pillows, shoes and purses at Jubilee, all of which she deflected, "Get out you stupid little hypocrite bitch!"

"I knew that was your problem!" Jubilee yelled back, "He told you off, didn't he? When you ran off after him like a dummy downstairs!"

"Get out!"

"Whatever, Rogue. You know what? Don't be mad at me because you finally found out what I've been trying to tell you for _months_!" She said, stepping over the thrown items on the floor to make her way to the door, "It's about time you got a reality check, anyway. You're _delusional._ Especially if you think you can call me that and keep me as a friend!"

"Please, who needs you and your big mouth anyway!"

"Fine, you stay here and feel stupid. See if I care." Jubilee shouted, flipping on the lightswitch before shutting the door behind her.

break

"Storm are you sure you don't want me to just wait outside?" Scott called from Ororo's bed. He felt extremely uncomfortable waiting there for her to change clothes in her bathroom, "Or downstairs?"

"Calm down, Slim, I'll be out in a minute!" She laughed back.

"No, I'm not trying to rush you, it's just that-I..." his mouth ceased to move when Storm emerged, now dressed for their evening.

"This isn't too dressy, is it?" She asked, spinning for him. She laughed when he dumbly shook his head.

"...You... look perfect," he finally said, rubbing his neck.

"That's cute," Storm giggled watching the blood tint his face, "Geez, Scott, you're gonna have to man up! Remy never blushes when I get dressed while he's in the room." She noted. It was true; Remy had more than once seen her in nothing but a bath towel and not reacted in the slightest, other than his usual playful comments.

"Yeah, well, I'm not Remy," Scott pointed out, standing. He hated to admit it to himself, but Storm's saying so jabbed him. It puzzled him that she even brought up Remy at all. But he brushed it off. If she wanted him to man up, then he would do just that. He refused to be outshined by Gambit, "And don't tempt me, either, babe. Next time I might have to help you get into whatever you pick out," he smirked. Storm gasped theatrically, shoving him by his shoulder before they both exited for the evening.

break

Remy ascended the stairs quickly to Storm's room. He figured he'd given enough time to Scott to talk over whatever it was he needed to with 'Ro. _An' if not, to hell wit' 'im_.

"Stormy," he called, tapping the door with his knuckles. He leaned closer to the door when there was no response, "Chere,' he called again. When he was again met with silence, he let himself in to the empty room. She was gone. And so was Scott.

He clenched his jaw, cursing himself when he added everything together. Cyclops was moving in on Storm. Of course, now would be the perfect time. She was ripe for the picking: emotionally vulnerable, not on the best terms with him... _an' you let de bastard do it, you damn stupid bayou rat. _With Storm being as young and sensitive as she was, she was bound to fall for whatever tactics the boyscout would pull. Especially with her pre-existing condition over him.

He made for the door, when his eye was caught by something lying on the floor. Remy paused and looked at it more carefully. It was Storm's diary.

For whatever reason, an insatiable need to read the thing overcame him. The man wasted no time with picking the thing up from the floor, and closing the door behind him. He sat on her bed, opening the book to her last entry.

**TBC**


End file.
